Whether you are an active adult or a senior looking for ways to improve your balance and flexibility, strengthening your ankles is key. After all, our ankles play such an important role in how we move about daily. Below are some helpful ankle exercises that you can easily add to your workout routine, some of which you need a CanDo® Exercise Band to perform. Just be sure to pick the resistance you are most comfortable with or choose the lowest resistance if you are unsure. You should aim to do 3 sets of 10 reps each. If you are not quite there yet, you have a goal to work up to:
Resistance Band Dorsiflexion
This CanDo® Exercise Band exercise helps strengthen the muscle in the front of your shin. To begin, tie the band around a table leg and have a seat in a chair. Then, place your foot inside the CanDo® Band, making sure the band is across the top of your foot. Then, by moving only your ankle, point your foot back toward your nose while keeping your knees straight. Hold this position for about 2 seconds before slowly releasing your foot back to the starting position.
Resistance Band Plantar Flexion
This CanDo® Exercise Band exercise helps strengthen your calf muscles and Achilles tendon. To begin, have a seat in a chair and loop the CanDo® Band under your foot and hold it at both ends. Then, by moving only your ankle, point your foot forward while keeping your knees straight. Hold this position for about 2 seconds before slowly releasing your foot back to the starting position.
Seated Calf Raises
If you don’t want to use a resistance band, you can do seated calf raises! All you need is to find a seat somewhere. This exercise is great for ankle strengthening and will help you put more weight on the injured ankle. To begin, sit in a chair with both of your feet on the floor. Then, lift one heel as far as possible while keeping your toes on the floor. Then, slowly return your heel to the starting position. Now switch to the other heel and repeat this same movement.
These activities that rely heavily on the ankle joint require proper training, stretching and strengthening. Focus on your feet and ankles when strengthening for performance in sports or everyday activities. Strengthening your ankles can pay off in preventing injuries over time. While these might not replace professional advice given by a doctor or physiotherapist regarding treatment for a specific injury or condition relating to the ankle area, they may supplement any additional treatment recommended.
To check out our line of CanDo® Exercise Bands, click here.
Article written by William Graves.