Your healthcare provider will likely recommend exercises as part of your broken ankle recovery plan.
Therapeutic exercise is actually one of the main treatments to help restore mobility after an ankle fracture.
Theankle alphabetis another useful ROM exercise.
Jeannot Olivet / Getty Images
Simply pretend that your toes are a pencil and draw letters with your foot by moving your ankle.
Draw each letter slowly and deliberately in both upper and lower case.
This can be performed several times per day.
Expect to feel a little pain, but stop the exercises if you feel any lasting or intense pain.
If that happens, check in with your PT or healthcare provider.
when you land perfected ROM exercises, it is time to start to improve ankle flexibility with new exercises.
Some ankle flexibility exercises:
Hold each stretch for 15 to 30 seconds.
Then move on to the next exercise groupankle strengthening.
you might use a resistance band to perform ankle-strengthening exercises.
Perform 15 to 20 repetitions of each exercise.
Stop if you feel any sharp pains.
when you land gained some strength, you could begin weight-bearing exercises for your ankles.
Your PT may have you perform variousgait trainingexerciseslike stepping over and around obstacles to improve the way you walk.
Many people wonder ifreturning to running after an ankle fractureis a possibility.
Your PT may prescribe single-leg standing exercises to improve your balance.
Your PT may also use specific tools like aBAPS boardto improve yourproprioceptionafter your ankle fracture.
Safety First
Challenging your balance can improve it.
This means creating situations where you may be unsteady.
This can be a safety hazard.
Your PT can devise a specific training strategy to include plyometrics after an ankle fracture.
J Orthop Trauma.2022 Dec 1;36(12):e449-e457.
