Ankle sprains are among the most common foot problems, especially for athletes. They can usually be treated very effectively, but ensuring complete healing depends on you helping out. You can do this by carrying out some simple rehab exercises usually prescribed by your doctor.
The “RICE” rule
For the first few weeks of your recovery, you’ll probably not be able to put full weight on your injured foot. This may seem like a major restriction on exercise, but following the “RICE” rule will give you a head start in making sure your sprain starts healing quickly:
- Rest: Avoid trying to walk on your injured foot, even for a short distance. Instead, use a cane or crutches to help you get around.
- Ice: For the first few days, place a plastic-covered ice pack on the ankle around four times a day, leaving it there for 20 minutes.
- Compression: Take an elastic bandage and wrap it around your foot, ankle and leg up to mid-calf. Just be sure not to make it so tight that it restricts circulation!
- Elevation: To maximize blood flow to your ankle, which will help the injured tissue repair faster, keep your foot elevated most of the time.
Getting your feet moving again
There are some simple stretching exercises you can do quite early on in your recovery process. Don’t begin these exercises until your doctor gives you the go ahead, and tell him or her if you notice any serious problems such as extra pain that doesn’t go away quickly.
- Circling your ankle smoothly in both directions will stop it from getting tight and stiff. Do this around four times a day, circling ten times each way.
- Sit in a chair and rest the leg of your bad ankle on your other knee. Then, hold that foot and carefully stretch it downwards before pulling it back up.
- Again start seated, but this time, gently pull your foot in each direction while pressing from above with your hand. Do this around four times a day.
Later in the recovery process
When you’re able to walk again with little discomfort, you can move to some slightly more strenuous exercises. It’s important not to rush into these, since overdoing things can cause further injury to your healing ankle and put you right back where you started!
- To regain good balance, try spending half a minute standing on one leg with your eyes closed. Do this four or five times each day.
- A simple but very effective exercise is to identify all your stiff leg joints and stretch each of them in turn. Do this smoothly, not suddenly.
- If you have a trampoline available, some double-legged jumps will help rebuild ankle strength, though this should only be done when recovery is close to complete.