Ankle Strengthing Drills?

[kristilyn73]

I am hoping for some Ankle Strengthening drills. My DD has rececently broken her right ankle and then after coming back badly sprained her left.

She is writing the alphabet with her feet and using the physical therapy bands.. any other ideas?

 

[BlairBob]

Toe raises and heel raises. Feet together, turned out, turned in. Or done on one foot. Prepatory for this is 60s of releve with feet together progressing to releve on one foot.

Bouncing forward, backward, sideways on floor (punching)

Single leg hops (focus on up and down) and for distance and speed.

Plyo jumps such as jumping over mats and boxes.

The last two would be a bit much after coming off the injury.

 

[Wally]

Since we are dealing with recent injuries, I think I would concentrating on rehab/resistance strengthening before doing too much dynamic stuff. Point & flex work , outward & inward rotation slowly with a partner gently resisting though a full range of motion of the ankles. I like all my gymnasts to do this before each training session as a general maintenance process but especially those in rehab.

When there is real stability there go for the more dynamics. The heel & toe raises with increasing weight as Blairbob suggests are great. I prompt (uninjured) gymnasts to raise as quickly as possible but lower very slowly to develop power as well as stability/strength.

 

[staceyb]

I used to use a wobble board to strenghten my ankles and it also helped with my core strength.

http://www.ballsnbands.com/TheraBand%20Wobble%20Board.jpg

 

[bpatient]

Article with exercises and illustrations

This article from American Family Physician discusses ankle sprains and includes a comprehensive list of rehabilitation exercises (including some illustrations).

Management of Ankle Sprains - January 1, 2001 - American Family Physician

I've broken both ankles and suffered several ankle sprains (I'm a rock climber with somewhat impaired judgment), and in my experience this sort of program works well. Without comprehensive rehabilitation, though, the best predictor of an ankle sprain is an ankle sprain within the previous year.

Good luck to your daughter.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

This article from American Family Physician discusses ankle sprains and includes a comprehensive list of rehabilitation exercises (including some illustrations).

Management of Ankle Sprains - January 1, 2001 - American Family Physician

I've broken both ankles and suffered several ankle sprains (I'm a rock climber with somewhat impaired judgment), and in my experience this sort of program works well. Without comprehensive rehabilitation, though, the best predictor of an ankle sprain is an ankle sprain within the previous year.

Good luck to your daughter.

lol! is your "somewhat impaired judgement" due to you misstepping? or simply because you chose rock climbing as an activity to begin with?? lol!

 

[Wally]

Great site. Thanks.

 

[Wally]

This article from American Family Physician discusses ankle sprains and includes a comprehensive list of rehabilitation exercises (including some illustrations).

Management of Ankle Sprains - January 1, 2001 - American Family Physician

I've broken both ankles and suffered several ankle sprains (I'm a rock climber with somewhat impaired judgment), and in my experience this sort of program works well. Without comprehensive rehabilitation, though, the best predictor of an ankle sprain is an ankle sprain within the previous year.

Good luck to your daughter.

Worth a read.

 

[Tumblequeensmom]

I would still recommend some physical rehab. sessions. It's one thing to read a website and try to incorporate those exercises at home compared to what can be done in a rehabilitative session. I speak from experience. My good friend is a physical therapist and she had given me all kinds of exercises, therabands, etc. to work with Katy after she had recuperated from the initial pain/swelling of a badly sprained ankle last December. After several months, it still wasn't really getting any better. She would have sporadic pain in the injured ankle when she would tumble or run. So I finally took her to a rehabilitative center close to home. After 2 months of 1 hour long physical therapy sessions, she was good as new and hasn't had a single problem since then. I just wish I had immediately done that instead of wasting all those months and having her get frustrated over NOT being able to get her skills because of ankle pain!

 

[kristilyn73]

Thanks everyone! She already was doing some of these excercises , I think I am going to get her a balance ball as well!

 

[bpatient]

The use of a balance ball/wobble board should help your daughter get through the next year. Several studies have shown that the risk of re-injury following an ankle sprain can be significantly reduced by using such devices.

A recent randomized, controlled trial [BMJ 2009;339:b2684] followed over five hundred athletes for one year after an initial ankle injury; although 28% sustained a repeat injury, athletes in the group that had been assigned to unsupervised, at-home balance treatment (use of a wobble board) were about 1/3 less likely to suffer another ankle injury compared to those who just returned to play. (I suppose the results would have been even more impressive if the treated athletes had actually done all of the simple array of exercises that they were assigned--only 1/4 of the athletes did so, while another thirty percent indicated that they had performed at least some of the exercises . . . .)

The bottom line, based on a number of studies of athletes in other sports in which ankle injuries are common (such as team handball and volleyball), is that the chance of sustaining a repeat ankle injury can be significantly reduced by the use of a wobble board or similar device (e.g. a balance ball or cushion) to supplement the usual ankle strengthening associated with normal training and competition.

That sort of training can also reduce the risk of an initial injury, although not as markedly as it can reduce the risk of a repeat injury. Nevertheless, my daughter stands on one leg on a wobble board, with her eyes closed, while she brushes her teeth--and, no, I can't do that

 

[Deleted member D3987]

great info. but you still have me curious as to your "having somewhat impaired judgement" as a rock climber. how can you afford to make a mistake doing that???

 

[bpatient]

When I've pushed my limits while rock climbing I've sometimes taken Robert Browning's exhortation that "a man's reach should exceed his grasp" a bit too literally.

 

[gymch34]

She should see a pt. The pt can give her the necessary exercises, and also supervise to amke sure she is doing them correctly.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

well then...be careful. your children would probably want you to stick around awhile, eh?

i might say the wife...but mine tells me to go take a flying jump. but my kids love me to death. LOL!

 

[bpatient]

Follow-up

As a follow-up to this long-dormant thread, I noted that the January 2010 Journal of Family Practice included an article that, based on the results of the clinical trial that I mentioned above, recommends that physicians direct their patients who have suffered ankle sprains to follow a program of ankle training (such as a wobble board program) at home following appropriate treatment. Help patients prevent repeat ankle injury — The Journal of Family Practice

The article includes this information:

In many sports, ankle sprain is the most common injury, partly because an athlete who incurs a first ankle sprain is at increased risk of another. The risk of reinjury is highest in the year immediately following the initial sprain. About half of recurrent ankle sprains result in chronic pain or disability, so preventing repeat sprains is an important patient-oriented treatment goal.
​

 

[kristilyn73]

As a follow-up to this long-dormant thread, I noted that the January 2010 Journal of Family Practice included an article that, based on the results of the clinical trial that I mentioned above, recommends that physicians direct their patients who have suffered ankle sprains to follow a program of ankle training (such as a wobble board program) at home following appropriate treatment. Help patients prevent repeat ankle injury — The Journal of Family Practice

The article includes this information:

In many sports, ankle sprain is the most common injury, partly because an athlete who incurs a first ankle sprain is at increased risk of another. The risk of reinjury is highest in the year immediately following the initial sprain. About half of recurrent ankle sprains result in chronic pain or disability, so preventing repeat sprains is an important patient-oriented treatment goal.
​

Thanks for following up! My DD has been doing wobble board training a few times a week! Knock on wood she is good so far