5 Top Tips for Ankle injuries
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Put ice on the ankle injury immediately
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Rest the ankle injury in an elevated position
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Load the ankle injury early
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Strengthen the ankle before you go back to sport running
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Strap up the ankle for the first time when going back and playing a sport.
Your ankle injury will be painful, so make sure to rest it for 3-4 days then attempt to put 30% of your body weight on it. This will help the ankle get used to being used again, but please note this will be painful. An acceptable level of pain is 4/10, and if pain goes above that don’t push past it.
NOTE: The first time you put your injured ankle to the floor will be the most painful, so don’t back out at the first hurdle. Start out by nice and easily putting weight on it by placing two feet on the floor and rocking side to side, gradually increasing the weight it is taking.
A good rehab program will consist of:
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Pain management
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Early loading
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Strengthening
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Balance work
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Sports specific drills
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Landing techniques and plyometrics
Below are some rehab videos that give good examples of exercises to follow after an ankle sprain. Each video is at different stages of rehab, do not attempt these exercises unless you are pain-free. At no point should you feel any significant pain during these exercises:
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