Ankle Strengthening Exercise
Video by Dr. Tent Yeomans
Ankle sprains are one of the most common injuries in sports. I have had countless patients in East Dallas coming in with ankle, knee, and hip pain after years of an untreated sprain. After an ankle sprain, it’s crucial to restore ankle stability to avoid future injuries. The ankle is part of the body’s kinetic chain, which means it works with other joints like the knee, hip, and lower back during movement. If the ankle isn’t stable, other joints must take on extra stress, which can lead to pain or injury in those areas. Rebuilding ankle stability through rehab helps ensure that the entire kinetic chain works properly. Strengthening the ankle, improving balance, and training the body’s sense of joint position are key to this process.
When the ankle is stable, it supports better movement throughout the body, reducing the risk of compensating injuries in the knees, hips, or back. In a study done by Hall et al. They looked at strength training protocols and its effect on rehabbing ankle sprains. They found that the groups who strengthened and moved the ankle as well as used PNF stretching to increase proprioception to the ankle joint had greatly increased stability in the ankle after a 6-week treatment. Restoring motion and increasing proprioception to joints are what chiropractic adjustments are best at, then following it up to strengthen the muscle to support the joints to make lasting changes. Here is a great exercise to help strengthen the muscles surrounding the ankle.
“Lateral ankle sprains are very common in athletes and account for 80% of injuries to the ankle. These injuries can cause damage to the ligaments, muscles, nerves, and mechanoreceptors that cross the lateral ankle. Repetitive occurrences of lateral ankle sprains can lead to chronic ankle instability (CAI), which is characterized by a subjective feeling of recurrent instability, repeated episodes of giving way, weakness during physical activity, “
Reference
Hall, E. A., Docherty, C. L., Simon, J., Kingma, J. J., & Klossner, J. C. (2015). Strength-training protocols to improve deficits in participants with chronic ankle instability: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of Athletic Training, 50(1), 36–44. https://doi.org/10.4085/1062-6050-49.3.71
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When you are looking for a Chiropractor near you that you can trust, choose one who will not only get rid of your back pain, neck pain, or headaches but who will also guide you to living a healthier lifestyle to keep you out of pain. Our East Dallas Doctors, located in Lakewood at the corner of Mockingbird Ln. and Abrams Rd., are here to teach you that taking care of your mental health and getting the proper nutrients are just as important as the chiropractic adjustment to stay healthy.
