Ankle Injuries - Prevention and Treatment (Muscle Balance, Static dynamic and reactive stabilization phases)

The ankle takes the full weight of the body and this makes it scecptible to injury. When running and jumping the forces that are exerted on the ankle are considerable. The most common ankle problems are sprains and fractures. A sprain is an injury to the ligaments, which may take many months to heal completely. You can also injure other parts of the ankle such as tendons and cartilage.

1. Band resistance work

Push against a resistance band, and you should feel this strengthening the calf muscles and Achilles tendon. Start with 3 sets of 10 once a day.

2. Small foot circles

Move foot around in circles against the resistance band. You should feel medial and lateral ankle ligaments lengthening.

3. Seated calf raise.

You should do this exercise seated to build up strength slowly. 3 sets of 10 should be performed.

Progressions

3b. Seated calf raise with barbell

Add barbell onto knees while doing calf raise

3c. Seated lateral calf raise with barbell

Add barbell onto knees while doing calf raises in a lateral direction to strengthen both lateral and medial ligaments.

4. Calf raise on stable swiss ball with base

5.Wobble board ankle ligament exercise

6. Single leg calf raises on swiss ball with base

Heel Pain

Heel pain can be caused by a variety of problems. It may be due to a traumatic injury, such as landing on the heel on a hard surface, or may be an overuse injury, such as plantar fasciitis. Here are the most common causes of heel pain:
A bruised heel can be caused by either a sudden impact (such as landing heavily) or repetitive pounding. The heel bone (calcaneus) is protected by a pad of fat. Repeated pounding of the heel can cause the fat pad to be pushed up the side of the heel leaving less of a protective layer causing heel pain. This injury is also sometimes known as Policeman's heel. It is common in sports requiring a lot of impact onto the heel and in particular soldiers marching up and down on the parade square.

Treatment of Heel Pain

What can the athlete do about heel pain?

• Rest until there is no more heel pain
• Pad the heel of shoes with shock absorbing insoles or heel pad
• Replace running shoes if they are old (more than 400 miles of running) or the soles are weakened through use

What can a professional do?

• A sports injury professional will confirm the diagnosis
• Advise on insoles heel pads to protect the fat pad in the heel
• Tape heel to provide pain relief and compress the soft tissue under the heel giving more protection to the bone

How long will it take to recover?

If you catch heel pain early and rest then it should recover quite quickly - within a few days. If you ignore the first onset of pain and the fat pad gets damaged beyond easy repair then this is a very difficult injury to treat. Rest means rest. There is no point you stopping running for a week if you put up scaffolding for a living and are on your feet every day. If you have to be on your feet then ensure you put a shock absorbing and cushioning heel insert into your shoes.