5 Best Ankle Mobility Exercises For Ankle Pain
What is ankle pain?
Ankle pain is one of the most common presentations we see here at Keilor Road Physiotherapy. Whether it’s peroneal tendonitis, a high ankle sprain, arthritis in the feet, posterior tibial tendonitis or sudden ankle pain without injury, we treat a multitude of patients with ankle pain. See more about physio for ankle sprain.
The ankle joint is a hinged joint made for primarily up and down movement. It has a three ligament complex on the outside of the joint and one broader, flat ligament on the inside of the joint. Joint movement and dynamic stability is also contributed to by other smaller ligaments, muscles and their tendons and the nerves around the joint.
Anatomy of the ankle.
Ankle pain is becoming increasingly more common as our community returns to sports and outdoor activities, often with a lack of appropriate conditioning. Pain in the ankle is generally caused by injury or overuse to/of the structures mentioned above.
Common Causes of Ankle Pain
Some of the more common ankle injuries we see include:
Ankle sprains and syndesmosis injuries.
Achilles tendon inflammation and ruptures.
Ankle fractures.
Nerve impingement and ankle neuralgia.
Gout.
Ankle arthritis.
Plantarfascitis and plantarfasciopathy.
Rheumatoid arthritis and
Ankle tendinitis.
It is vital to identify the predominant contributing factors to your ankle pain.
The experienced team at Keilor Road Physiotherapy places importance on treating not only the symptoms but targeting the underlying cause and guiding you as to the best ankle mobility exercises. These ankle exercises will help the stability, strength and mobility of your ankle.
Here are the 5 best ankle mobility and strengthening exercises for ankle pain that you can try at home.
5 Best Ankle Mobility Exercises for Ankle Pain
If your ankle pain persists, please book in with one our friendly physiotherapists to get further advice.
1) Knee to wall stretch
An excellent stretch for ankle pain, designed to improve ankle joint stiffness and range of motion. It is important to have full range of motion in the ankle joint before moving onto strength-based exercises for the ankle muscles.
Have your hands up against a wall, placing your foot approximately 2-3cm away from the wall. Then bring your knee towards the wall, keeping your foot on the ground.
If you’re able to touch the wall without lifting your heel off the ground, you can take your foot back by 1cm.
Best stretch for ankle pain.
2) Static Foot Press
This exercise is designed to safely load the tendons of your foot and ankle - which connect to the calf muscle. We can progressively stress the area, particularly the Achilles tendon, to create positive change in the soft tissue structures of the ankle.
We use a static exercise strap here in the clinic, but you can use a towel around your foot and apply a downward force, pushing your foot down into the towel. Hold this for 30 secs, then rest for 30 secs. This should be repeated 5 times and completed twice a day.
Ankle pain exercise.
3) Single leg calf raise
Once we have loaded the tendons, we can start strengthening the calf muscle. To set-up for this exercise, place your feet shoulder width apart facing a wall. You can have 1 or 2 fingers touching the wall for support.
From this position, stretch out your toes, slowly raise up onto your big toe and lower your heel back to the ground on the affected side.
3 sets of 10 repetitions is a great place to start, ensuring good control of movement.
4) Foot eversion exercise
This exercise focuses on strengthening the muscles on the outside of the ankle joint, the ankle evertors. The ankle evertors are important muscles that work to move the foot outwards, but they are also dynamic stabilisers of the ankle joint that help limit the risk of injury.
This exercise can be completed in a seated position with the assistance of a resistance band. Place the band around the middle of your foot and push your foot downwards against the resistance.
Hold your foot out for 3 seconds, before returning to your starting position. Complete 3 sets of 10 repetitions on each foot.
Dynamic ankle strength exercise.
5) Split-stance Balance
An excellent exercise designed to work the smaller muscles of the foot and ankle to help with balance. Make sure you complete this exercise with either a wall beside you or a sturdy piece of furniture.
Place the affected ankle behind the opposite foot, with a 10cm gap between each foot. Then place your hands on your hips and stand in this position for 30-60 seconds. Complete this 5 times, up to 3 times a day.
What else you can do for ankle pain?
There is a range of lifestyle factors that can be changed or modified as an adjunct to your exercises to help with your ankle pain. Some of these include:
• Appropriate footwear
• Regular exercise
• Foot inserts/insoles and
• Ice or heat depending on the underlying cause
How we can help you
In need of more help for your ankle pain?
All of the physiotherapists here at Keilor Road Physiotherapy are experts in diagnosing the underlying cause of ankle related pain. Following a comprehensive physical assessment your physiotherapist will take time to explain the causes and anatomy that are related to your ankle symptoms.
Keilor Road Physiotherapy’s philosophy is to ensure that all patients are provided with a tailored health plan that is specific to them, this will include goal setting and education regarding expectations for recovery and treatment timeframes.
There is a range of treatment techniques that your therapist may decide is appropriate for you. These may include:
• Manual therapy including joint mobilisations and massage to improve ankle joint mobility and stiffness.
• Targeted exercise programs to improve the strength and active stability of the muscles around the ankle and the lower limb.
• Pain management modalities including; ice/heat, compression, taping.
• Education surrounding the management of ankle pain in a functional setting such as: work, home, the gym and more.
• Referral to appropriate medical or allied health services when indicated.
Keilor Road Physiotherapy are the experts at reducing symptoms of ankle pain and stopping its recurrence. Servicing Niddrie, Essendon, Airport West, Keilor & Melbourne’s Northern suburbs for over 40 years, you can book with one of our highly trained ankle Physios below or call 93794557 to speak to one of our admin superstars.
Related Links
Article by
Shaun Tamraz | Physiotherapist
Shaun graduated with a Science degree from the University of Melbourne in 2016. Following a Gap year in Europe, Shaun returned to complete his Bachelor of Applied Science and a Master of Physiotherapy Practice at La Trobe University, graduating in 2020.