How to Strengthen Ankle?

MrsMozart

MrsMozart

Just passing through...
Joined
27 June 2008
Messages
41,710
Location
Not where I should be...
Visit site
Maybe a strange one for you all :D

My left leg behaves, pretty well anyway lol. My lower leg is straight and my foot is square to it; however the right leg... Well, it looks better because it sort of bends sideways at the ankle and tucks in nicley, but it sort of collapses :o. Had to stop riding yesterday because it had had enough :(.

I'm not very fit and I am very fat, but I'm working on both of them :D. I found that yesterday, after riding (I ride early in the morning), my right ankle and foot ached and felt inflamed inside.

I ride five days a week, for anywhere between half an hour and two hours. Going to horse camp at the start of August where we'll be riding for three hours a day...

I was going to just trot, trot, trot (within reason, etc.), to try and toughen it up, but am slightly concerned: my horse has tons of stamina, and when she gets too fit/full of energy doesn't have enough brain cells to cope with it and turns into a fruit loop, so I'm trying to balance her fitness level with what her brain (and me!) can cope with :D :D :D.

Any suggestions for fittening/strengthening?

Also in Comp Riders :D
 
Last edited:
If you can, book a one off appt with a registered physio.

I know it sounds like a dramatic solution but seriously they will be able to give you the correct exercises and work a programme out for you.
 
Gluttonforpunishment said:
If you can, book a one off appt with a registered physio.

I know it sounds like a dramatic solution but seriously they will be able to give you the correct exercises and work a programme out for you.
Click to expand...

I'll go further than that - book an appointment with a registered physio who specialises in treating professional sports people. My husband went through hell with a couple of "normal" physios before we met up with someone who dealt with top level professional sportsmen (F1 drivers, pro golfers, etc) for whom time out was money and championships lost. The difference in attitude was tremendous and as a result I have a husband who is not in a wheelchair, rather than one who was given exercises inappropriate for his (multiple) injuries and when he couldn't do them (hell my fit county hockey-playing daughter couldn't do them) was effectively abandoned and consigned to a wheelchair for the rest of his life.

It may be expensive but it's worth it.
 
MrsM.... get a balance board or a wobble board. They are like a flattened, trifle filled porcupine. About 3 inches deep/tall, and made of 2 pads of wobbly stuff that has a nobbly top surface (incidently, they're soooo nice to stand on when your feet are tired!!)

Basically the idea is that instead of sitting on the sofa when you watch tv, you stand on this board so you have to use your core and your lower legs to balance. As you get better you can stand on one leg at a time, to work your ankle more. (But don't try to drink your hot choccy while on it, could be very messy! ;) )

the other thing is to get on doing squats, and lunges to stregthen your legs generally so that less stress is put on your ankles.

My mum had major back surgery 4 years ago and lost most of the proprioception (literally perception of your extremities) in her left foot. The wobble board, and some intensive physio has helped her get a long way back to full fitness. Unfortunately the extent and nature of the surgery means that she'll never be back to normal and struggles to walk more than a couple of miles, but at least she's not in a wheelchair.
 
Alsow hats your normal day to day foot wear? Although supportive type riding/walking boots feel good they don't help you build up your ankle strength as you end up relying on the boot.
So something that doesn't support your ankles or something that's only loosly around your ankle is better (e.g. cowgirl boots).
 
I'd go one further and seek a podiatrist's opinion (they're like farriers but for human's and specialise in lower limb problems!!) They sometimes provide orthosis to go in your shoe to stop your feet rolling in or rolling out! Where abouts is your ankle hurting nearest to your big toe or little toe?
My fella is a podiatrist and treats a whole range of patients from professional athletes to grannies, if you want to know where he's based pm me!! I'm a health professional but not a podiatrist but will ask his opinion for you later-does sound like a weakness problem so proprioception will help the ankle such as wobble board or even brushing your teeth standing on one leg!!
I'd also recommend squats and lunges if your knees can cope to build up your quad strength, I know it seems crazy but this will strengthen the muscles at the front of your thigh and actually take pressure off you knee cap stop it if its maltracking which in turn may help your ankle lower down!!

Good luck and hope you get something sorted!!
 
Going to be watching this thread with great interest as I'm going to be needing strengthening exercises for my left ankle after fracturing it last week. Got a walking boot for support at the moment but going to need to strengthen it once I can stop wearing it.


Hope you find something that suits you and works for you MrsM :D
 
Sorry for late reply. Just asked him, he agrees with wobble board and quad strengthening exercises. Also if you don't feel too self conscious has said if you email photos to me he'll give you an opinion. He's treated quite a few riders, and sometimes putting an orthotic in your riding boot can take pressure off your ankle, realign it and put it in a better position.
Don't want to get a smacked bottom for advertising just trying to help, his name is Robin Weaver if you want to google him!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top