The ankle 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 senior director of rehabilitation at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City. Together, all of these structures work to keep everything above the ankles stable and moving as they should.
[See: 8 Lesser-Known Ways to Ruin Your Joints.]
But unless you specifically train the ankles, it’s easy for weaknesses — and repetitive injuries — to occur, Mayerhofer says. “The No. 1predictor 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.
In short, you want to start training your ankles. Below, experts share ankle- strengthening exercises to integrate into your current workout routine.
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.
[See: 7 Exercises You Can Do Now to Save Your Knees Later.]
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.
BOSU lunges. Kaplan recommends this exercise to train both ankle mobility, strength and stability. When this variation becomes easy, you can also try performing it with the BOSU ball’s flat side up or by planting your back rather than front leg on the BOSU.
Instructions: Stand tall with a BOSU ball with the flat side down 2 to 3 feet in front of you and take a giant step forward to place your lead foot in the center of the ball. The heel of your back foot will raise from the floor just slightly. Place your hands on your hips, in front of your chest or out to your sides or against a sturdy object for balance. From there, slowly lower into a lunge as far as you comfortably can. Pause, then press through your lead foot to return to start while maintaining a split stance with your foot on the ball. Then perform the movement again before switching sides.
Eccentric calf raises. Kaplan, Campbell and Mayerhofer recommend strengthening the ankle with various calf-raise variations. By lowering the heel back down toward the floor slowly, this exercise works each calf eccentrically — meaning the muscle is lengthening rather than shortening. “More force is generated during eccentric loading of a muscle and tendon complex, and this is where you truly will build the muscle durability,” Mayerhofer says.
Instructions: Stand tall on the floor or on the edge of a low platform, with your heels hanging off of the back and your feet just narrower than hip-width apart. Place your hand on a sturdy object if needed for balance. Keeping both knees fully extended, raise up onto the balls of your feet. Pause, then slowly lower your heels to the floor (or lower than the floor if using a low platform) over the course of 3 to 5 seconds. After returning to the starting position, complete additional reps.
Single-leg balances. Kaplan, Campbell and Mayerhofer suggest single-balancing as a way to individually train each ankle for better stability. Exactly how you perform the balance, though, depends on your current stability skills. Start by performing the balance standing flat on the floor. Then, gradually challenge yourself to increase your stability by standing on a foam pad, balance disc, wobble board or BOSU ball.
Instructions: Stand tall with your feet shoulder-width apart and your hands placed on your hips. Slightly bend one knee to lift that leg off of the floor. Keeping your torso tall (imagine a string is pulling the top of your head toward the ceiling) and without dropping your hips to one side, hold for as long as possible or 30 seconds. Repeat the movement on the opposite side.
[See: 5 Common Running Injuries and How to Heal Them.]
Lateral lunges. It’s important that the ankle is able to stabilize your body not just when you’re moving forward and backward, but also when you’re moving from side to side, Mayerhofer says. After all, that’s when a lot of ankle injuries happen.
Instructions: Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart and place your hands on your hips or clasp them together in front of your chest. From here, take a giant step with your right foot in that direction. Simultaneously, push your hips back and bend your right knee to lower your body as far as you can, keeping in mind that your knee should not extend farther to the right than your foot. Pause, then drive through your right foot to push your body back to start. Repeat the exercise on the opposite side.
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5 Ankle Strengtheners You Need In Your Workout Routine originally appeared on usnews.com
