An ankle sprain happens when we twist or roll our ankles in an awkward manner. This sudden movement can tear the ligaments that are responsible for holding the ankle bones. As a result of this stretch or tear, we experience sharp pain in our ankles.
Thankfully, sprained ankle physical therapy is quite easy to do. Before jumping straight to ankle strengthening exercises, you can first start the treatment with resting, icing, or using over-the-counter medicines.
If your pain is intense even at this point, you should consult a physiotherapist instead of doing ankle exercises at home. However, if the pain has reduced down, you can do sprained ankle exercises to further reduce the pain. If you don’t know how to do ankle sprain physiotherapy treatment at home, you have reached the right place.
In this article, we have discussed how to do the best ankle physical therapy exercises. These ankle sprain recovery exercises will help you ease the pain and heal your torn ligaments. If you are a beginner and have never tried sprained ankle stretching and exercises before, read this article till the end.
Benefits Of Doing Ankle Sprain Recovery Exercises
Here is a list of benefits that you get by doing ankle exercises at home:
- The foremost benefit of doing exercise for ankle sprain is relief from pain.
- Your ankle muscles get strong and the chances of injuries get reduced when you do exercise for ankle strength.
- Sprained ankle physical therapy helps in ankle sprain complication prevention.
- Ankle strengthening exercises increase your bone density which reduces the chances of degenerative bone diseases.
- Lateral ankle sprain exercises improve your body balance and athletic performance.
- Exercises for stiff ankles increase the range of motion of your ankles.
The Best Ankle Flexibility Exercises
Unlike most other types of lower body workout, ankle sprain physiotherapy treatment does not require any special fitness equipment. You can easily do ankle flexibility exercises without even needing extra space. Here is a list of a few exercises for stiff ankles that will help you with recovery:
- Towel stretch
This exercise for ankle helps in stretching lower leg muscles and ankle muscles. Here is how you can do this exercise for ankle sprain:
- Sit down on a yoga mat with both your legs stretched out in front of you.
- Now, wrap a towel or a washcloth on the top of your foot.
- Hold one end of the towel and pull it towards you.
- While pulling the towel, your toes will angle back towards your torso.
- Keep this towel holding pose for 30 seconds and then keep it released for another 30 seconds.
- Repeat this exercise for ankle fracture 3 times and then switch the leg to repeat again.
- Calf raise
Calf raise is one of the most famous lateral ankle sprain exercises that helps you in stretching the muscles of your ankles and legs. Here is a step-by-step guide that will help you do this exercise for ankle swelling:
- Stand straight on a step or any other raised platform.
- Your heels should be hanging off the back of the step while balls of the feet should be placed on the surface of the step.
- Raise the heels above the step surface by pushing your toes down.
- Now, release the legs and your heels will fall back.
- Stop once they are just below the surface and repeat the calf raise as many times as you can.
- Towel curls
Towel curls are an effective exercise for ankle stiffness that helps you in stretching ankle and feet muscles. Here is how you can do it:
- Sit down on a yoga mat with both your legs stretched out in front of you.
- Place a towel or a washcloth under one foot and curl your toes to grab the towel.
- Lift the towel off the ground and keep it in the air for a few seconds.
- Release the grip of toes and the towel will fall down.
- Repeat towel curls a few times and then change the leg.
- Ankle alphabet
This exercise for ankle sprain improves your range of motion by stretching the muscles around your ankle. Here is a step-by-step that will help you do the ankle alphabet:
- Sit down on a yoga mat with one leg stretched out in front of you.
- Place a pillow under the calf of this stretched leg so that the foot will hang on the other side of the pillow.
- Using the big toe of this stretched leg to draw alphabets in the air.
- Repeat the ankle alphabet many times to stretch the muscles of your feet.
- Toe pull
Toe pull is another easy exercise for ankle sprain that stretches ankle and leg muscles. Here is a step-by-step that will help you do toe pull:
- Sit down on a chair, straighten the knee of one leg and raise it off the ground.
- Gradually, point the toes of the raised leg towards you.
- Hold this toe pull pose for a few seconds and then release.
- Gradually, lower down the leg back to the floor and repeat toe pull several times.
Exercise For Ankle: Tips
Here are some tips that will help you get the best out of ankle stretching exercises:
- Do warm-up before starting an exercise for ankle swelling.
- Keep at least one exercise for ankle strength in your home workout. It will strengthen your ankle muscles and help you in ankle sprain prevention in the future.
- If you feel sharp pain while doing exercise for ankle fracture, stop it immediately and consult a doctor or physiotherapist first.
- There is no need to stop doing the exercise for ankle stiffness if the pain is only mild. Just take a rest for some time and then start the exercise for ankle again.
- Pregnant ladies should do sprained ankle stretching and exercises only after consulting their doctors.
Exercise For Ankle: Summing It Up
There are various ankle physical therapy exercises that can help you with recovery. Warm-up, start the sprained ankle exercises, and focus on the right form. By doing ankle stretching exercises consistently, not only will you recover from ankle sprain but you will also strengthen your ankle muscles.
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