Ankle Strengthening Exercises to Help You Recover From an Ankle Injury (2024)

Updated on May 18, 2024

Non-Weight Bearing Dorsiflexion

A simple ankle strengthening exercise is ankle dorsiflexion, the motion of bending your ankle up towards your shin. This motioncan help you regain the ability to walk normally again.

1. Straighten your knee.
2. Moving only your ankle, point your foot back toward your nose. Continue until you feel discomfort or can't tilt it back any further.
3. Hold this position for 15 seconds.
4. Return to a neutral position. Repeat five times.

Non-Weight Bearing Plantar Flexion

Plantar flexion involves pointing your ankle down and away from you. It can help you improve your range of motion (ROM).

1. Straighten your knee.
2. Moving only your ankle, point your foot forward. Continue until you feel discomfort or can't move it any further.
3. Hold this position for 15 seconds.
4. Return to a neutral position.

Non-Weight Bearing Inversion

Inversion is pointing your ankle inwards toward the middle of your body.

1. Moving only your ankle and keeping your toes pointed up, turn your foot inward. The sole of your foot should be facing your other leg. Continue until you feel discomfort or can no longer turn your foot inward.
2. Hold this position for 15 seconds.
3. Return to a neutral position.

Non-Weight Bearing Eversion

Eversion is moving your ankle to the outside part of your ​leg. This exercise can help you gain outward motion in your ankle.

1. Moving only your ankle and keeping your toes pointed up, turn your foot outward, away from your other leg. Continue until you feel discomfort or can no longer turn your foot outward.
2. Hold this position for 15 seconds.
3. Return to a neutral position.

The Alphabet

Another common ankle stretching exercise is the ankle alphabet. It helps you gain ankle mobility in all directions.

1. Sit on a chair or a bed with your foot dangling off the edge.
2. Then, draw the alphabet one letter at a time by moving the injured ankle. (Use the big toe as your "pencil.")

Eversion Isometrics

Ankle strengthening exercises usually start with isometric contractions, which means your ankle joint doesn't move while you flex the muscles.

Eversion focuses on pushing the ankle outward.

1. While seated, place the outside of the injured foot against a table leg or closed door.
2. Push outward with your foot into the object your foot is against. This will make your muscles contract. Your ankle joint should not move.
3. Hold this position for 15 seconds.
4. Relax for 10 seconds.

These exercises may be done early after injury or surgery. They allow you to gently and safely add force to the muscles that support your ankle.

Inversion Isometrics

This ankle-strengthening exercise focuses on inversion, which involves pushing the ankle inward.

1. While seated, place the inside of the injured foot against a table leg or closed door.
2. Push inward with your foot into the object your foot is against. This will make your muscles contract. Your ankle joint should not move.
3. Hold this for 15 seconds.
4. Relax for 10 seconds.

Resisted Strengthening Dorsiflexion

You should perform resistance ankle strengthening exercises with a thick elastic band called a Theraband. These exerciseshelp strengthen the muscles around your ankle and add support to the joint.

Perform each exercise 10 to 15 times in a row.

This resistance exercise helps strengthen your anterior tibialis, the muscle in the front of your shin.

1. Tie the band around a table leg. Place your foot inside the band, with the band across the top of the foot.
2. Moving only your ankle, point your foot back toward your nose while keeping your knees straight. Continue until you feel discomfort or can no longer tilt it back.
3. Hold this position for 2seconds and slowly release.
4. Return to the neutral position. Repeat.

Resisted Strengthening Plantar Flexion

Resisted ankle plantar flexion helps strengthen your calf muscles and Achillestendon, the big tendon in the back of your ankle. It also uses a Theraband to provide resistance.

1. Loop the band under your foot and hold the band with your hands.
2. Moving only your ankle, point your foot forward while keeping your knees straight. Youmay feel tightness in your calf muscle behind your lower leg.Continue until you feel discomfort or can't move it any further.
3. Hold this position for 2seconds.
4. Return to a neutral position.

Resisted Strengthening Inversion

This resistance ankle-strengthening exercise works on an inward motion. To do the exercise:

1. Loop the exercise band under your foot and hold the ends with your hands.
2. Moving only your ankle and keeping your toes pointed up, turn your foot inward so the sole faces your other leg. Continue until you feel discomfort or can no longer turn your foot inward.
3. Hold this position for 2seconds.
4. Return to a neutral position.

Resisted Strengthening Eversion

A resisted eversion strengthens in the outward direction.

1. Loop the exercise band under your foot and hold the ends with your hands.
2. Moving only your ankle and keeping your toes pointed up, turn your foot outward,away from your other leg. Continue until either you feel discomfort or you can no longer turn your foot outward.
3. Hold this position for 2seconds.
4. Return to a neutral position.

Partial Weight-Bearing Seated Calf Raises

These partial weight-bearing exercises help you put more weight on the injured ankle. They're also used for ankle strengthening. You should perform each one ten times in a row.

1. Sit in a chair with the injured foot on the floor.
2. Lift your heel as far as possible while keeping your toes on the floor.
3. Return your heel to the floor.

Partial Weight-Bearing Standing Weight Shift

Sometimes, you may have to limit how much weight you put on your affected leg after an injury. This can help protect your ankle as it heals.

Then, you can gradually increase weight bearing on your injured ankle. Weight shiftsare the perfect ankle-strengthening exercise for this.

1. Stand upright while holding onto a stable object.
2. Shift some of your weight onto the injured foot.
3. Hold the position for 15 seconds.
4. Then, relax and put your weight back onto your uninjured foot.

Full Weight-Bearing Single Leg Stance

These ankle-strengthening exercises will help put more weight on the injured foot. However, before you put your full weight on it, you should be sure your ankle can tolerate the pressure.

1. Stand on the injured foot while lifting the uninjured foot off the ground.
2. Hold the position for 15 seconds.
3. Relax and put your weight back onto your uninjured foot.

Perform each one ten times in a row.

Full Weight-Bearing Standing Calf Raises

You might want to try calf raises once you're cleared for full weight-bearing.

1. Stand on the injured foot while lifting the uninjured foot off the ground.
2. Raise yourself, standing only on the ball of the injured foot and lifting your heel off the ground.
3. Hold the position for 15 seconds.
4. Relax and put your weight back onto your uninjured foot.

Full Weight-Bearing Lateral Stepping

This ankle-strengthening exercise involves stepping from side to side.

1. Place a rolled towel or short object on the ground to the side of your injured foot.
2. Step over the towel with the injured foot and remain on that foot.
3. Then, bring the uninjured foot over the object and stand on both feet.
4. Step back over the towel with the uninjured foot and remain on that foot.
5. Then, bring the injured foot back over the towel and stand on both feet.

You can increase the speed of this exercise as your healing progresses.

Full Weight-Bearing Lateral Jump

This ankle strengthening exercise starts to incorporatejump training, called plyometrics, into your rehab routine. This can help you get back to running and other sports.

1. Place a rolled towel or short object on the ground to the side of your injured foot.
2. Hop over the towel and land on the injured foot.
3. Then hop back over the towel and land on the uninjured foot.

Increase the speed of this exercise as your healing progresses.

Single Leg Stance on a Towel

Ankle injuries often affect your balance. Balance activities can help prevent future injury. Do these towards the end of your rehabilitation.

1. Fold a towel into a small rectangle and place it on the ground.
2. Stand with the injured foot on the towel.
3. Lift the uninjured leg off the ground. Stand only on the towel with the injured leg.
4. Hold for 15 seconds. As your balance improves, increase that time up to 45 seconds.
5. Return your uninjured foot to the floor.

Perform this exercise 10 times in a row. When ready, increase the challenge by standing on more unsteady surfaces like a wobble board.

Your physical therapist may also have you use a BAPS board (Biomechanical Ankle Platform System) while working on balance exercises.

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