Exercises to Strengthen Your Ankles

Posted On May 20, 2021

To strengthen the ankle, there are many stretching exercises

If you are injured, you will need to see your doctor before starting new exercises. Rest for recovery may be better, or some specific instructions that you must follow until you get back on your feet.

Before starting workout, be sure to warm up. Start with 5-10 minutes of low-intensity exercise, such as walking or cycling. You should also pay attention to any pain you experience while stretching. We are not talking about pain from physical exertion now, but pain during exercise is something that you should discuss with your doctor.

The ankle has several muscles that help support it during any type of physical activity. Therefore, strengthening these muscles helps to improve performance and avoid injury.

Proprioception

Proprioception is the body’s ability to determine its place in space. If the athlete moves into a position that could injure the ankle, increasing this ability will help “alert” them to the danger of such a position injury. In addition, it increases productivity. A person with a good sense of balance and awareness can use their body more efficiently. Therefore, I will start with exercises for balance. Moreover, their implementation does not require special equipment and they can be performed even in the office.

Balance Exercise

• Stand on one leg. Stay on one leg for 30 seconds. Then change legs. The time can be increased to 1 minute.
• Balance and catch. This exercise can be done with a partner. Standing on one leg, throw the ball to each other. Try to change its direction every time – now closer to the right hand, then to the left, then above, then below. Then change your leg. Perform 3 sets of 30 seconds per leg.
• Mini squats on one leg. Standing on one leg, perform 10 half-squats with the leg slightly forward. Then 10 squats with the free leg to the side and another 10 squats with the free leg back. Repeat the same exercises with the other leg.

Stretching

There are several ways to strengthen your ankle. In the first type of exercise, you need to use an expander or best ankle straps for cable machine which can be bought at online easily.

Rise On Toes

The second way to strengthen your ankles is to use your toes. Calf raises should be performed both while standing and sitting, as this will help strengthen the calf muscles and Achilles tendons. Do 3 sets of 20 reps.

Plyometric Workouts

The third type of strengthening is plyometric training, which uses different types of jumps to train the ankles. Do 10-15 reps.

Jumping Squats.

Start the jump from the crouch position, jump up and land softly.

Jogging Exercise

Get yourself a toes run using 50% of your maximum speed. The distance of one such repetition is 15 meters.

Curling Inward

• Sit down and wrap a towel or tape around your left leg.
• Hold each end of the towel firmly with your hands.
• Slowly rotate your ankle inward.
• Then pull up the right side of the towel to increase the stretch.
• Repeat the exercise on the other leg.

Twisting Outward:

• Sit down and wrap a towel or tape around your left leg.
• Hold each end of the towel firmly with your hands.
• This time, slowly rotate your ankle outward,
• Then pull on the left side of the towel to increase the stretch.

Stretching The Ankle Sitting Position

• Sit comfortably with your right leg over your left knee.
• Hold your right leg with your hands.
• Then use your left hand to bend your left toe and ankle backward, pointing with your toes.
• You should feel a stretch in the front of your ankle and leg.

Final Words

Always check with your doctor before starting any new exercise or stretch, especially if you’ve been injured or recently had surgery.

If you’ve had a recent injury or surgery, your doctor probably has specific exercises and guidelines that you should follow during your recovery.

Stretching your ankles can help with your range of motion and soreness. Try to stretch regularly, at least 3-5 days a week.

You can also talk with your doctor or physical therapist about other ways you can improve your ankle strength and flexibility. A trained professional can tell you if you are taking these steps correctly. Correct execution is very important.