Though not many people do it, inversion of the ankle joint is a good way to build strength in the area. Performing exercises like this will do a number of things:
- Increase the strength around the joint
- Increase range of motion
- Reduce the risk of further injury
A physiotherapist will normally demonstrate an exercise like inversion as it can sometimes be tricky to get right.
It is done as follows:
- Sit with your legs out straight
- Cross your uninjured leg over your injured ankle
- Wrap a piece of tubing around the ball of your injured foot
- Loop the tube around your uninjured foot so that the tubing is anchored there
- Hold the other end of the tubing in your hand and pull it to create some tension
- Turn your injured foot inward and upward against the tension
- Hold for five seconds
- Return to the starting position
- Do 3 sets of 10
Perform this exercise daily in the early stages of rehab, reducing to three times per week over time.
