Don’t Be That Person. Get Strong Ankles!
Sitting on the floor of the stage, head bowed, a twinge of pain in your ankle, a life time of embarrassment; you wonder how this could have been avoided.
Cue Wayne and Garths flashback effects.
You are finishing your daily exercise class at the gym and the instructor, in passing, mentions a new class the next day specifically tailored to strengthen the ankles. You are handed a small handout with details about the class and the types of exercises to expect. The next day, after a long day of work, you decide to skip the class because you already have strong ankles and dont feel like wasting your time doing ridiculous exercises. Eureka!!!! You should have gone to that exercise class and learned the following:
Proprioceptive training (body awareness in space) by balance training
- One leg stands: stand on one leg for 30 seconds and work your way up to 1 minute.
- Balance and Catch: find a partner and each of you throw a ball, such as a volleyball, back and forth while standing on one leg. Make sure you throw the ball high, low, right, and left. If you cannot find a partner you can bounce the ball of a wall.
- One leg mini squats: perform a half squat while balancing on one leg.
Strengthening
- Using therabands to perform inversion/eversion AND dorsiflexion/plantar-flexion exercises
- Standing squat jumps
- Scissor hops
- Lateral jumps
- Box jumps
These types of exercises help strengthen the muscles/tendon that effect the ankle joint as well as strengthen the ligaments that stabilize the joint.
As with any exercise program, please seek the advice of your physician before beginning. You can always call Dr. Bowman for advice on exercises and techniques, and always remember: “Wayne’s World! Wayne’s World! Party time! Excellent!”
You can make an appointment with Dr. Bowman by calling 713-467-8886 or by going online.
Category: Ankle Pain
Tags: ankle injuries, ankle pain, Ankle Problems, Exercise, Strengthen Ankles