Posted on June 17, 2016 by Jenny Cromack
Taken from https://pixabay.com/en/football-injury-rush-play-grass-1319608/
Ankles are the bane of many athletes lives, such as footballers, they suffer ankle injuries such as ankle sprainsand often see them returning season long. One way to minimise this recurrence is to ensure a safe return sport/activity; when you are ready to tackle the demands of said sport/activity.
Ankle sprains often occur in the outer ankle as a result of rolling the foot, and turning the ankle. This stretches and damages the many ligaments in this area, which require a thorough rehabilitation plan to restore the mobility and strength of these tissues. Once we have restored the range of movement, strength, and mobility in the ankle joint, and reduced the pain and swelling significantly we can start thinking about phasing ourselves into the return to sport.
This final stage of rehab is often rushed, or surprisingly neglected. It should consist of movements, and demands that are similar to that of the sport or activity. At first we can start building the similar movements and loading patterns. We can then introduce the use of sport specific equipment such as a ball, opponents, or game related demands.
Below I detail a basic example of some drills to test and train your ankle ready for a return to a sport or activity that involves directions changes, acceleration, and jumping patterns such as most competitive team sports i.e., football, rugby, basketball.
Ankle Sprains – Return to Sport Drills
1. High Knees Ladder Drill x 10
Quick feet, and high knees, through the ladder. Jog back to start and repeat.
2. Agility T Drill x 8
Start at base of T, sprint forwards side step to one corner of T, then across to opposite corner, back to the center, and return to the base.
3. Zig-Zag Bounds
Bound/leap in a zig-zag fashion landing on one foot then leaping onto the next. perform 3 bounds each leg then jog to the start and repeat.
4. Hopping Square x 6
Start on one corner of the square, hope to the next, and work your way around the square. Always keep facing the same way as you hope so that work your hops in multidirections. Perform one full rotation, rest, then repeat x 6.
These are four simple drills that will test the mobility of your ankle, and also build you back into the agility demands of your sport. A ball can be added to some of these drill. For example during the T drill you could receive and make a pass with a football at each point on the T. You can be creative when adding sport specific activities into this phase, just think about the movements involved, and what skills are combined with these movements.