Last week, I tripped over while running and fell over without any grace at all! It happened so quickly I wasn’t sure if I sprained my L ankle or just bashed it on the ground! Luckily I escaped with my L hand & knee grazed badly & probably a few laughs from someones CCTV footage! Therefore I haven’t practised yoga, but I’ve been able to run since.

This fall gave me inspiration to create a series of videos for Ankle Inversion Sprain rehabilitation, from the moment you sprained your ankle to plyometrics. I can’t do sports specific rehab, I don’t have the right equipment at home for this unfortunately. However, the 5 videos have loads of progressions, variations & some improvisations for you to try during Lockdown.

These videos will be great for

• those who have a history of ankle sprains
• improving confidence to those who feel their ankles are weak and/or unstable
• anyone preparing to return to training/sport after lockdown. For example football, rugby, sprinting, jumping, tennis, basketball, netball, hockey etc.

The videos are specific to ankle inversion sprains, a sprain to the ligaments on the outside of the ankle. Inversion sprains are more common than Eversion (inside of the foot), but I recommend you seek advice from an injury specialist to make sure it’s not anything severe.

I’ve organised the videos in order from easier to harder, with a gradual progression. Make sure you take your time at with each exercise & progression, master the exercises & see how the ankle responds to the increase in difficulty before moving onto a progressed exercise.

Here’s an introduction to the videos…

Acute Stage Rehab

The jury is out there with regards to ice application due to latest research. It works for me & my patients in practice. Regardless, it’s so important to improve pain free range of movement and gradually progress loading through the ankle. I’ve added a couple of mobility drills to try. Stretching does have a part to play in rehab, only when you can weight bear without pain though.

Resistance Training

Now we can start loading the ankle using resistance bands, weights & bodyweight. As you can see, I’ve improvised as best as I can, so you can do these exercises during lockdown. Bags for life & household objects to make up a weight are great ways to improvise. As mentioned on the video, control the movements to get the most from them. Fatigue is very normal, but pain isn’t, either in the form of a recurrence of symptoms or a new symptom.

The 1st video for Proprioception/Balance 

This is a great way to slowly build up confidence in the stability of the ankle, and improve your ability to bear weight. Again, improvisations are used and are effective.

The 2nd video for Proprioception/Balance

This is a step up in difficulty from the previous balance exercises. I believe that balance is underestimated, and rehab exercises for balance can be tame/unimaginative. I’ve gone for some that you may not have seen for variation and fun…if you can call it that!

Plyometrics

Here’s the stage before the icing on the cake! The icing would be sports specific rehab, as mentioned I can’t quite offer that in the dining room/gym/office! These exercises will test you in different angles, speeds & positions which is what you need to try before returning to sport.

I’d love to know your feedback on these videos! I hope they’ve helped you if you’ve had an ankle injury before or during lockdown. I believe there’s always a solution, hence this ‘Window of Opportunity’ blog!

Before my fall I had some mild shoulder pain, and I decided to land on that same shoulder during the fall making it slightly worse. Once I feel more confident in my L shoulder I’ll be creating videos similar to the above, so keep an eye out!

In the meantime, take care and stay safe!

Hoss