Physical Therapy is absolutely vital in the recovery of an ankle sprain unless one has the diligence to complete exercises themselves for a period of 8-12 weeks.
Why Is Physical Therapy Necessary You Ask?
What keeps the ankle strong is both the tendons and ligaments of the ankle and it’s supporting muscles. When someone sprains their ankle, the tendon and ligaments may either stretch or tear butalso the muscles weaken from the damage.
The tendons are able to repair themselves but the muscles, without exercise, stay at the same amount of weakness. Weak ankles cannot support the weight and balance of the body and therefore, people with ankle sprains who don’t go to physical therapy often roll and re-roll their ankles having chronic ankle sprains, pain, and needing to wear ankle braces because just because their ankle muscles are weak.
This is where physical therapy comes in! At our Howard Beach physical therapy office, our physical therapists work with you to not only heal your ankle sprain but also re-strengthen it so that further injury won’t happen.
Without physical therapy for the ankle, you are at extreme risk of chronically re-rolling your ankle ad infinitum.
Physical Therapy Exercises
Here are some physical therapy exercises that you can do to re-strengthen the ankle and are done with the help of our howard beach physical therapists.
At our office, we use a Bosu ball, which is half of an exercise ball that sits on a platform. This ball is great for ankle re-strengthening. Here is what you can do.
- Stand on the bosu ball with one foot for 60 seconds. Repeat 2-3 repetitions for each foot. This exercise makes your ankle move around and try to balance the body without falling. This is the type of exercise you need to re-strengthen the ankle and make sure your ankle can take the pressures you’ll find while walking or exercising.
- Another exercise is to take an exercise band and wrap it around a pole. Then put your foot in the loop and move your ankle sideways until you feel resistance and the ankle muscles are being used. Repeat 10-15 times for 3 sets. This is called resistance training
- A third exercise is to take the exercise band and instead of moving foot sideways, put your foot in the loop of the band so that you feel resistance when you move your foot up and down. Then move the foot from resting position upwards until you feel the muscles being worked. Repeat 10-15 times for 3 sets.
These strengthening exercises are great for the ankle and will help prevent another ankle injury!
Schedule A Physical Therapy Session Now!
Cross Bay Physical Therapy is located in Howard Beach, Queens. Our practice has been a neighborhood staple for over 30 years because our patients get results. Call 718-835-0084 and schedule your evaluation today!
By Benjamin Bieber