Taking a look at the relationship between supported weight and surface we discover that the ankles are the joint that in the whole body must bear the greatest amount of stress on a daily basis .

These are the joints that join the tibia and fibula on one side, the long bones of the lower leg connected at the top with the knee, while on the other the talus, the short bone of the foot that transmits all the stress due to the weight of the body from bottom to top.

Weak ankles due to hereditary reasons or poor use and training, tendon problems, overweight, wear and tear, overtraining, accidents and, above all, sports injuries, are generally the causes of ankle problems that require some form of rehabilitation.

One of the most common accidents is a sprained ankle , which often affects the health of one or more of the four ligaments of the ankle. The most evident symptoms are inflammation, hematoma, swelling, presence of fluid and constant pain.

This type of accident occurs due to mechanical causes, such as the misuse of shoes with heels or with poor support , running on surfaces that increase the risk of sprains, etc., or for congenital causes, such as a lack of balance, perhaps due to problems. of a nervous nature that can generate insufficiently adequate proprioception, or to a weakness of the muscles, tendons or ligaments of the ankle.

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Ankle rehabilitation techniques

The rehabilitation of the ankle takes time and must be targeted , both to the muscles of the foot and leg, and to the four ligaments: the tibionavicular, the tibioastragaleo posterior and the anterior, and finally the tibiocalcaneal.

> Let’s start with a simple simple exercise, which will help regain lost mobility during the period of hospitalization and rest . We will sit with the inherited leg straight in front of us, resting on another chair. We will extend our foot as much as possible by pushing the toes forward, and then retract them back towards our body. Exercise to be repeated ten times a day for at least 5 minutes.

> One of the most important leg muscles for the health of the ankles is the calf , which we will help to stay in shape with this basic exercise: we will assume the same starting position described in the previous exercise and, with the help of a towel placed under the sole of the foot, we will pull back until the upper part of the calf begins to stretch.

> Another interesting exercise to strengthen the calf during ankle rehabilitation is the following: we will place ourselves in front of a wall placing our hands on it, then we will position the foot that must be rehabilitated posteriorly, with the fingers facing the wall. We will slowly bend the front knee until the lower calf begins to stretch properly.

> Let’s move on to a rather safe exercise that will help us rehabilitate the tendons to recover strength in lateral movements : we will sit on a chair adhering to a wall. The injured foot must be exactly on the side of the wall and lean against it for the side. Keep the sole of the foot close to the ground and the side of the foot close to the wall and press regularly towards the wall for at least three seconds, growing to 10 as the condition of the ankle improves.

> The opposite exercise, for the rehabilitation of both the tendons and the muscles that cover the side of the tibia , is carried out more or less from the same position, but without the need for any wall. We will sit and keep the feet adjacent to the inner side while at the same time the sole of the foot must always adhere to the floor. With the same frequency described before by pressing from 3 to 10 seconds described above, we will press inwards instead of outwards.

> Finally, here is a last exercise to do towards the end of the rehabilitation to regain balance . It is simply a matter of standing on one foot (the one that has to work), keeping the eyes closed for as long as possible: all the micro-movements generated by the position will stimulate the recovery of the ankle tendons.