Ankle sprain exercises

An ankle sprain is an overstretch or a partial tear of the ligaments that hold the ankle together, most often the ones on the outer side, after the foot rolls inwards. Those ligaments do two jobs: they physically restrain the joint, and they feed the brain a constant stream of information about where the foot is. A sprain disrupts both. The great majority are stretched or partly torn fibres rather than a complete rupture.

It is one of the most common injuries in sport and in everyday life - a kerb, a step missed in the dark, an awkward landing, a pothole. Swelling and bruising usually appear quickly, sometimes tracking down into the foot, and the ankle is often at its most uncomfortable a day or two after the event rather than at the moment it happened.

Most sprains heal well. The problem is that they are so often under-rehabilitated: people stop once the swelling settles and walking is comfortable, and are left with lasting stiffness, calf weakness, or a nagging sense that the ankle is not quite trustworthy on uneven ground. That is what sets up repeat sprains months or years later.

Early protected movement beats resting it, and completing the balance and strength work markedly lowers the chance of spraining it again. Walking usually feels normal within one to three weeks, while sport typically takes six to twelve weeks depending on the grade. This programme starts with early protected movement, restores range and strength, retrains balance and reaction control, then rebuilds running and sport.

Who this programme is for

People who have rolled or twisted an ankle and can take at least some weight through it. If you cannot weight-bear at all, or there is bony tenderness over the ankle knobbles or the foot, get an X-ray to rule out a fracture first.