Best Ankle Rehabilitation Exercises For Those Recovering From Ankle Injury

Summary

This physical therapy instructional video covers a series of ankle strengthening and rehabilitation exercises. It begins with intrinsic muscle movements like foot shortening, toe tapping, and towel scrunching. Next are extrinsic muscle movements: tracing the alphabet with your foot, plantar/dorsiflexion, and ankle inversion/eversion. The video then covers overall ankle strength exercises: heel raises, resistance band movements, and balancing (standing on one leg with eyes open/closed, balancing on blocks). The exercises progress from gentle and stabilizing intrinsic work to dynamic extrinsic movements to standing compound exercises to improve ankle mobility and function.

Takeaways

• 😀 The video covers ankle strengthening exercises for rehabilitation
• 💪🏽 Exercises target both intrinsic (deep) and extrinsic (outer) ankle muscles
• 🦶 Foot shortening, toe tapping and towel scrunches work intrinsic muscles
• 🖐️ Drawing alphabet and plantar/dorsiflexion target extrinsic muscles
• 👉🏽 Inversion and eversion movements strengthen ankle's side-to-side mobility
• 🚶‍♂️ Heel raises build strength for daily activities like walking
• 🏋️‍♂️ Resistance bands add load to ankle movements like plantarflexion
• 🧘‍♀️ Balance exercises like 1-leg stands improve proprioception
• 🛌 Start rehab exercises once pain-free after ankle injury
• 🚴‍♂️ Complete full routine for comprehensive ankle joint strengthening

Q & A

What are some key muscles worked during intrinsic ankle exercises?

Intrinsic ankle exercises work muscles like those in the tarsal bones and plantar fascia of the foot.

What is the purpose of the toe tapping exercise?

The toe tapping exercise stretches and extends the toes to strengthen the small muscles in the foot and ankle.

How long should you hold each foot shortening repetition?

Each foot shortening repetition should be held for 5-10 seconds.

What is the difference between intrinsic and extrinsic ankle muscle exercises?

Intrinsic exercises target the deeper muscles inside the ankle joint while extrinsic exercises work the outer muscles surrounding the ankle bones.

What does drawing the alphabet work?

Drawing the alphabet with your feet works the ankle muscles and calf muscles in all directions.

What muscle actions do dorsiflexion and plantar flexion emphasize?

Dorsiflexion emphasizes pulling the top of the foot up while plantar flexion emphasizes pointing the toes down.

What items could you use for resistance band ankle exercises?

Items like towels or exercise bands can provide resistance for moves like eversion, inversion, dorsiflexion and plantar flexion.

Why close your eyes during one-leg standing balance?

Closing your eyes challenges your proprioception and balance since your brain can't rely on visual input.

What do heel raises strengthen?

Heel raises strengthen the calf muscles and toe extensor muscles when lifting up onto the ball of your foot.

How can you make heel raises more difficult?

Doing heel raises while going below flat ground level on the way down increases difficulty.