The Next Step in Ankle Rehab
For those who have recently suffered an ankle injury though - we have you covered!
Today we follow on from out recent blog on acute/ short term management of your ankle injury - AKA what to do in the week that follows. Today we would like to talk about your best strategies in the months that follow!
When to start exercises?
This question is quite dependent on how badly you injured it at the time. If the injury was quite mild, exercises could start a week later depending on your pain levels.
On the other hand, if you suffered a grade three injury it may be 4-6 weeks before you could start your rehabilitation exercises.
What will your exercises look like as they progress?
Initially they will start with static balance - for example standing on one leg. While this seems overly simple, there are structures within the ankle that inform the brain when you are losing your balance. If these tendons are stretched during your injury, they won't be performing this job at 100% - therefore you have to start right back at the basics!
These exercises can be progressed quite quickly and eventually we will work on balance on uneven surfaces, while you bend and squat, throw a ball, and anything else we can do to keep your body guessing!
One of the last things we work on is return to sport and return to running.
How long until I can run again?
The reason why running is one of the last things we introduce back into your exercise routine is that it is one of our least stable positions for the ankle, not to mention the high impact nature running!
We often tend to think of running as just a faster version of walking - but fundamentally it is very different! When walking, one foot is always in contact with the ground - before the back foot leaves the ground, the front is already back on the floor.
However when running, there is a period between each step where neither foot is on the ground = impact on landing, and much less stability for the foot striking the ground.
How do we transition from a walk to a run?
Initially you will start active walking (not a stroll!). If you are used to going for a half hour run - start with a half hour walk to get used to time up on your feet/ constantly moving and using the muscles. We then look at adding in basic hopping/ landing activities to work on jumping balance and impact tolerance.
This leads us to everyones favourite exercise - skipping! Skipping is a great intermediate because jump height tends to be lower than than of running, you can do it in short bursts, and most will do it as a double leg activity - this makes it a great way to build up!
We always advise that you let a health professional guide a return to sport or a change in physical activity. Please remember that the above information is a general guide written to give an idea of the steps your physiotherapist will take you through to get you back to 100%, but that this program may not be suited to everyone.
If you are unsure if this information applies to you, please email or call the clinic and one of our physios can help you decide what your next course of action should be!
Written by Alison Jeffery - Physiotherapist, Women’s Health Specialist &
Pilates Instructor.
To see our Physiotherapists or book in for a Pilates consult, book an appointment with us online today or call our team on 07 55 04 7000.
