If you've ever had an ankle injury, you know how painful and frustrating it can be. Your ankles are a massive part of your overall mobility, so an injury can set you back several weeks to allow it to heal.
But did you know stretching regularly helps you avoid painful and annoying injuries? Specific stretches allow you to strengthen the ankle joint and improve mobility to prevent injuries like sprains, fractures, and dislocations.
At Sports Medicine Associates of San Antonio, Dr. Marque A. Allen provides various strategies and tips to prevent foot and ankle injuries. Dr. Allen is a board-certified foot and ankle specialist who also treats ankle sprains and other problems.
Stretching is crucial at any stage of life, especially if you're active and involved in sports. It helps muscles and other tissues maintain flexibility, which improves joint function.
There are many benefits to stretching regularly, before and after exercise, and just because. The significant advantages of stretching include the following:
Regular stretching is a great way to keep the joints healthy, increase circulation, and improve posture. When you're active, it's essential to decrease muscle tension and prevent overuse injuries.
Ankle injuries are, unfortunately, extremely prevalent, especially among athletes. If you play a sport that requires a lot of running or jumping, you're especially prone to ankle issues.
Although some ankle injuries are minor and heal independently, others keep you off the field for several weeks if they end there. Some of the common ankle injuries that athletes and nonathletes suffer from include:
These injuries range from mild to severe and usually require some treatment. Mild injuries typically include rest, ice, and anti-inflammatory medications, while more severe injuries may require injections, physical therapy, and even surgery.
Ankle mobility is critical for multiple reasons, including injury prevention. Improving ankle mobility helps increase range of motion and flexibility, which strengthens the joint and allows you to do the things you love.
Keeping the ankles mobile is essential for maintaining strength in the joint. Exercises Dr. Allen recommends for ankle mobility include:
Performing these exercises is a great way to keep your ankles healthy throughout the year. Stretch each ankle several times, at least once per day.
Before beginning any activity, it's crucial to get moving to get blood flowing to the ankles. Going into an activity like running or jumping without warming up increases the risk of specific injuries. Some strengthening stretches help you warm up the ankles, including:
It seems too simple to be true, but drawing the alphabet with your ankles while you lie on the floor or stand with support helps to strengthen the muscles, ligaments, and tendons around the joint. Use the ankles to spell out each letter — the entire alphabet, one time per day, per ankle.
Standing on the edge of a step or flat on the floor, lift your heels off the ground and get onto your tiptoes for calf raises. Not only does this help with flexibility, but it also strengthens the calf muscles, which helps with ankle stability.
For this exercise, lay on the floor. Pull your toes up toward your chest to perform dorsiflexion, like flexing your foot toward the ceiling. Plantarflexion is just the opposite: Point your toes away by flexing the ankle away from your body.
A single-leg stance, or SLS, is a simple exercise that helps with balance and stability. All you need to do is stand on one foot and hold the other leg up. Balance for about 30 seconds, then switch legs. Other variations add to the difficulty, like reaching with the opposite hand toward the toes.
Call Sports Medicine Associates of San Antonio today to schedule a foot pain appointment with Dr. Allen. We have two convenient San Antonio, Texas, locations. You can also request a consultation using our convenient online booking tool.
