For something so small, the ankle is an incredibly complex joint – and one with a lot of responsibility.
The ankle, which is really more of a complex than a joint, actually comprises three separate joints, and gains support from ligaments, tendons and muscles that run all of the way from the tip of your big toe to your knee, explains Jason Mayerhofer, a physical therapist and certified strength and conditioning specialist with the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City. Together, all of these structures work to keep everything above the ankles stable and moving like it should.
But unless you take the time to perform ankle strengthening exercises, it’s easy for weaknesses – and repetitive injuries – to occur, Mayerhofer says. “The number-one predictor for future ankle injury is having an injury in the first place,” he explains. “Depending on the degree of the sprain, a ligament or ligaments can be stretched, partially torn or ruptured. This increases the risk of laxity at the ankle complex and further increases the potential for subsequent injuries in the future.” Plus, similar laxity can occur naturally as part of the aging process, making ankle aches and pains increasingly common throughout the years, says Dr. Jon Kaplan, a foot and ankle specialist with Hoag Orthopedic Institute in Orange, California.
And when the ankle isn’t as strong or mobile as it should be, injuries can also commonly occur throughout the lower body. “When strength or mobility is lacking, neighboring joints will essentially try and make up the difference,” explains kinesiologist Ryan Campbell, a training specialist at Anytime Fitness of Southern Wisconsin. “This may cause rotation at the knee,” with results ranging from muscle sprains and tendonitis to plantar fasciitis (heel pain) and torn meniscus (knee cartilage), he says.
5 Ankle Strengthening Exercises You Need
As a general rule, you can perform these exercises a couple of times per week or every day, but the exact frequency as well as the number of sets and reps you perform depends on your current ankle health. “Also, keep in mind that these are not typically fitness exercises, but corrective exercises,” Campbell says. On a scale on one to 10, from easy to hard, stop each set when you’re at about a seven. “You might not feel your heart pounding, but you should feel your coordination fatiguing,” he says.
Four-way ankle strengthening with a resistance band
This exercise – one of Kaplan’s favorites – trains the ankle with four separate movements: dorsiflexion (raising the toes to shin), plantar flexion (pointing the toes), inversion (turning the foot in toward the opposite foot) and eversion (turning the foot out away from the opposite foot).
Instructions: Sit down and loop a flat resistance band around one bare foot. Hold onto the ends of the resistance band with one hand so that the band is taut. From here, flex your foot up toward your shin, relax back to start and repeat until the shin begins to fatigue. Repeat this process with three more movements: pointing your foot, turning your foot in and then turning your foot out. Then repeat on the opposite foot. Note: Always hold the band in the direction opposite of the one in which you are moving. For example, if you are pointing your foot, hold the band directly above your foot for resistance. If you are turning your foot out to the side, hold the band to the inside of your foot.
Read on at US News to learn four more excellent exercises for strong, healthy ankles.