Fix your wobbly ankles!

There was a point in my life where I had two sprained ankles AT THE SAME TIME. The first one was from tap dancing on newly polished floors (do not recommend!) and the second one was because I was limping around my school with a sprained ankle and fell down the stairs. That was not one of my best moments. I sat out from dance and other extra circulars for several weeks and rested until the swelling and pain went down, and by the 4th week, I thought I was good to go and hopped right back in to full time dance classes.

However, after the initial ankle sprains, I continued to chronically roll my ankles, not just at dance, but with everyday walking. Pointe was especially difficult as I felt like my ankles were just wobbly. I remember doing a group pointe number and just being terrified that I was going to just completely roll over and break my ankles during the dance. Needless to say, sitting out from class and resting was not efficient for rehabbing my ankles and here is why:

Pathophysiology

When you sprain your ankles you are essentially damaging the ligaments that are holding all the bones in place. Unfortunately, ligaments do not heal as well as other structures due to the lack of blood flow to the tissue. So although it does get better with time, it is never as strong as it use to be. This is where strengthening comes in to play.

Because the ligaments are no longer adequate to support the ankle, we have to strengthen all of the surrounding muscles for stability. This includes the peroneus longus and brevis, which run along the outside of the calf, the gastroc and soleus which run along the back of the calves, and the intrinsic foot muscles underneath the foot.

The second reason ankles don't feel quite the same after an ankle sprain is because you've likely also damaged the cells that are responsible for proprioception, aka joint awareness. If you've ever walked on sand, you would know that your foot and ankle constantly have to adapt to the hills and divets in the sand to prevent you from rolling or falling over. This adaptation response is diminished after an ankle sprain, leaving you more vulnerable to rolling or re-spraining you ankles.

So what are some good exercises that you can do?

1. Strengthen the peroneus longus and brevis muscles. This can be achieved by laying on your non-effected side with your effected foot hanging over the edge of the bed. Keeping the rest of your leg still, evert, or dish the foot towards your pinky toes. Add a theraband for more of a challenge.

2. Rises in parallel and in turnout. Start with two feet, then slowly progress to one foot. Ensure that you are not putting significant weight on the outside of your foot.

3. Stand on one leg. This helps regain your joint awareness. Make it more challenging by closing your eyes.

This post is to address inversion ankle injuries after the inflammation phase has passed. It should be noted that there are several different kinds of ankle sprains which require different approaches. It is recommended that you seek help from a physiotherapist to determine the best approach for your injury.