Slipping from that staircase, twisting your ankle while walking or slipping on a wet floor. Sounds painful right? Where all these situations sound quite uncomfortable and painful just imagine what pain must one go through while experiencing any of these. An ankle sprain might not sound like a big problem to some but the one who has suffered knows the real pain behind it. Where it is not just about the pain caused due to this condition but also about the adversities that come along. Ankle fracture, also known as the posterior malleolus fracture, is a fracture in the back of tibia at the ankle joint level. Where there are several treatment options available to treat an ankle fracture such as surgical and nonsurgical treatments such as leg cast, bone repositioning, etc. As these treatment options can help one in treating those fractures and healing the bones, the mobility of the ankle joint gets affected during this procedure. In order to regain the ankle mobility and to help you walk and work again normally, here we have 5 simple ankle mobility exercises that you can follow to regain the ankle mobility lost due to fracture.
Ankle Mobility Exercises
If you are someone who has suffered from an ankle fracture in the recent past and need help in coming back to optimal function as the fracture has healed, then this article is for you. There are several exercises that your therapist might suggest you to follow in order to reduce that pain and improve the ankle strength. Here are some of the rehabilitation exercises that one can follow in order to improve the mobility, strength and overall functioning of your ankle joint after an ankle fracture. Make sure that before indulging into any kind of exercise you consult your doctor or the physiotherapist, as these two people are well versed about your condition.
#1. Flexibility Exercises
In order to increase the flexibility of the broken ankle, it is important to indulge into some light flexibility exercises such as the towel calf stretch. This exercise would help you in stretching out the front muscle of the ankle along with the back muscle of the leg. In order to increase the flexibility of the ankle post fracture, perform the ankle calf exercise by following the given instructions-
- Sit straight on the ground and grab a towel.
- Wrap the towel around the toe of your affected foot.
- Hold the ends of the towel with both your hands in a manner that your hands are positioned above your knees.
- Slightly pull the towel back and your foot forward.
- Hold this position for about 15 to 30 seconds and then release.
#2. Motion Exercises
Motion exercises are one of the most common range of motion exercises that your physiotherapist would recommend you to perform as you get your cast out. This is generally done by moving the foot in and out and exercising that ankle joint.
These exercises are performed by in and out motions called inversion and eversion. One of the most common motion exercises performed to improve the motion and mobility of the injured ankle is the ankle alphabet. Follow the given steps to perform this motion exercise effectively-
- Sit straight on a chair.
- Ensure that your back is straight and erect
- Bring your foot in front of you while keeping the knees straight.
- Now imagine that your toe is a pen and start drawing alphabets in the air.
- Draw each letter deliberately and slowly.
- Write these letters in both uppercase and lowercase.
#3. Balancing exercises
As ankle fracture affects your overall balance and you might notice that your balance is a bit off. In order to get back to normal, improving your balance is a must and hence practicing balancing exercises becomes a must. To improve your ankles ability to stay upright some of the exercises that can be followed are single leg standing exercise, exercise using BAPS board or a wobble board. In order to perform the single leg standing exercise effectively to enhance the balance, follow the given steps-
- Stand upright with both your feet together.
- Grab a chair or platform in front of you to provide extra support and stability.
- Lift one foot off the ground for as long as you comfortably can.
- Place your foot softly onto the ground and repeat with the other leg.
#4. Strengthening exercises
After staying for such a long while in the cast and keeping your ankle immobilized, you might feel that your ankle is a bit weak and the muscles around are a bit sore. Where this sensation is quite common after any kind of fracture, your physiotherapist might suggest you undergo some strengthening exercises soon after recovery. These exercises can be performed with the help of tools such as resistance bands to strengthen the ankle joint. Move your ankle into dorsiflexion, inversion, plantarflexion and eversion and follow the given steps to perform the ankle strengthening exercise.
- Sit on the floor with your back straight.
- Prop up your ankle with a rolled up towel.
- Take an elastic band and place it around the ball of your foot.
- Hold both the ends of the bad and then slightly push your ankle forward pointing towards the toe.
- Hold this position for 10 to 15 seconds and then bring it back slowly.
- Repeat this exercise for 10 repetitions.
#5. Walk
As staying up in that bed is not an option anymore and you need to move around in order to get back to normal life. Walking is considered to be one of the best exercises and when it comes to increasing the ankle mobility, it is said to be quite effective.
Where the way you will start walking depends upon the severity of your injury and hence your therapist might suggest you require any kind of assistive device in order to start walking again. The possibility of getting to walk back on your own depends upon the severity of your injury and how much it has healed over time.
