Introduction
Sports medicine has recently become one of the most sought after and practiced branched of medicine and has been finding an increasing number of consumers and patients seeking these services.
The increasing amount of competition in sports has made these events all the more hazardous and left the athletes and sportspersons vulnerable to a series of injuries and illnesses.
The foot and ankle are often counted amongst the most vulnerable and worst effected body parts as far as sports-related injuries are concerned.
In this section we’ve explained the rehabilitation process for ankle injuries and the sports medicine ankle injury exercise plans.
The Rehabilitation Program
Ideally, a rehabilitation routine for ankle injury should be done in a fixed regimen, in a schedule of 20 minutes, done at least thrice a week until full recovery has been achieved.
The process of sports medicine ankle injury exercises generally begin with the following explained stretches.
1. Calf Stretch
First place your hands on a wall with the right foot behind you. Trying to keep the right knee straight, touch the heel to the ground. Once done, lean forward until you feel a stretch along your calf.
2. Range of motion
Begin by sitting with one leg crossed over the other. Draw small circles in the air with toes of your feet. Repeat for 10-15 seconds in both, the clockwise and anticlockwise directions.
3. Towel Scrunches
This is one of the most important components of the sports medicine ankle injury exercise regimen.
As a part of this exercise, first sit in a chair and stretch a towel on the floor. Beginning with the right foot, keep the heel on the ground. Once done, use your toes to scrunch the towel towards yourself. Repeat the entire process 3 times.
4. Toe Raises
Stand with one hand on the back of a chair for support. Raise up on your toes and hold for 2 seconds and then lower. Do not bounce and perform two sets of 10 repetitions each.
5. Leg swing on one leg
Try to balance on one leg slowly. Now swing the other leg forward and then back through a full range of motions. Meanwhile, keep the knee straight and move from the hip. You can then swing the leg to the side. Do this for 10 seconds, rest and repeat.
In addition, sports medicine ankle injury exercise specialists also suggest following the RICE technique to provide immediate and effective relief from the associated pain. The sequence of rest, ice, compression and elevation should be followed regularly for the purpose. At times, it is also helpful to take ibuprofen or aspirin to provide the required relief from inflammation.
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