Ankle Foot Rehab
After an injury or surgery, it is important to begin an exercise conditioning program to help you return to your daily activities and live a more active, healthy lifestyle. A well-structured conditioning program will also enable you to return to sports and other recreational activities.
This is a general conditioning program that provides a wide range of exercises. For your safety and the effectiveness of the program, it is recommended that you perform the exercises under supervision.
Strength: Strengthening the muscles that support your lower leg, foot, and ankle can help keep your ankle joint stable. This in turn can relieve foot and ankle pain and prevent further injury. So it’s important to keep these muscles strong.
Flexibility: When it comes to keeping your muscles healthy and flexible, stretching is just as important as strengthening. By gently stretching after completing a workout, you can help reduce muscle soreness and keep your muscles long and flexible.
Target Muscles: The muscles, tendons, and ligaments of the lower leg are all important for controlling movement in the feet. This conditioning program will help you strengthen them and improve your mobility.
These include:
- Gastrocnemius-soleus complex (calf)
- Anterior tibialis (shin)
- Posterior tibialis (center of calf)
- Peroneus longus (outside of lower calf)
- Peroneus brevis (outside of lower calf)
- Soleus (calf)
- Dorsiflexors (ankle)
- Plantar flexors (ankle)
- Invertors (ankle)
- Evertors (ankle)
- Length of program: The length of this program will depend on your individual needs, but it should generally last for 4 to 6 weeks. After you’ve recovered, you can continue doing these exercises as part of a maintenance program to keep your feet and lower legs healthy and strong. Doing the exercises 3 to 5 times a week will help you maintain the range of motion in your foot and ankle.
Getting Started
Warm up: Before doing the following exercises, it’s important to warm up with 5 to 10 minutes of low impact activity, like walking or riding a stationary bicycle. This will help prevent injury and get your muscles ready for the workout ahead.
Stretch: After the warm-up, it’s important to do some stretching exercises before you move on to the strengthening exercises.
Exercises: When you have completed the strengthening exercises, it is just as important to repeat the stretching exercises in order to end the program.
Do not ignore pain: Pain is your body’s way of telling you something is wrong. If you’re feeling pain while exercising, it’s important to listen to your body and talk to your consultant. Ignoring pain can lead to serious injuries.