Physical Therapy For An Ankle Injury
Ankle sprains are one of the most common injuries that we see at our physical therapy office in Queens, New York. A simple misstep can cause the ankle to twist leaving the tendons, muscles, and ligaments in and around the ankle damaged.
While it is key to apply physical therapy to heal ankle damage, it is equally essential to re-strengthen the ankle once it becomes injured and weak. Ankle sprains are one of the most easily re-occurring injuries because once the ankle is weak, it is prone to rolling and twisting again.
At physical therapy, we provide a step by step process for you to both heal your ankle and strengthen it at the same time. Strengthening the ankle gives you back the strength of balance so that once you are walking around easily or exercising, you will not easily re-roll it.
Here are a few exercises that help to strengthen the ankle:
- Balancing on a Bosu Ball - This ball is a inflated ballon type ball with a flat surface that our patients stand and balance on with one foot. A patient balances on one foot for a minute and then switches legs. The ankle has to balance itself under difficult conditions making the ankle muscles stronger.
- Calf Raises and Stretches - Once the ankle is injured, the surrounding muscles must compensate. One of these muscles is the calf and can become tight and even injured itself if it has to take over to much of the ankle’s responsibilities. To counter this possibility, we strengthen and stretch the calf making sure it remains loose and does not weaken.
- Playing Catch - Another popular exercise is to have a catch with a weighted ball while you balance on one ankle. This exercise trains your ankle to be active under pressure and when in daily life, will not then succumb to a roll or twist during simple daily activity.
As you can see, healing an ankle doesn't just have to do with spending some time off of your feet. Though the ankle takes around 6 weeks to heal, it is very weak and must be re-strengthened or else you run the risk of spending all of that time healing only to injure it again and have to start the whole recovery process over.
Our physical therapists set up an individualized treatment plan for you during your first evaluation that ensures your ankle will heal quickly without any chance of re-injury.
Schedule Your Appointment!
Call 718-835-0084 and schedule your evaluation at Cross Bay Physical Therapy today!
By Benjamin Bieber