Ankle sprains are common and unpleasant injuries that can put not only athletes, but also any active person "off the rails". At Okto, we can give you 5 tips to reduce your risk of suffering an ankle sprain or getting another one.
By improving balance and equilibrium, you also improve the body's proprioception, which helps it orient itself to its position in space. An easy way to train your balance is by trying to sit on one leg. An easy and casual exercise, you can sit on one leg while brushing your teeth or washing the dishes. Once this becomes easy and you can hold the balance for a longer time you can progress by closing your eyes or incorporating one legged lunges.
Often people complain that they feel instability in their ankles when performing everyday activities, this in a large percentage of cases is due to weakness of the muscles that are located around this joint. This muscle weakness and this feeling of instability are prerequisites that increase the risk of a sprain. An easy way in which you can train this musculature is by taking an elastic band and start performing movements in the ankle joint against elastic resistance. If you have concerns related to feeling unstable or weak in your ankle joints you may seek help from a physiotherapist or you may ask your personal trainer. The Okto team can help you with resolving this issue for you.
But why increase mobility when you want to tighten the joint and prevent dislocation? Mobility in the ankle joint, and also good mobility in all the other joints of the foot, contributes to one of the main functions of the ankle-foot complex, namely to orient the foot to the ground surface and to distribute weight up the limb correctly. There are many exercises, which include stretching exercises and mobility exercises, through which you can achieve good ankle mobility while providing the stability you need.
There are many studies some of which support and others which reject the idea that using taping or elastic ankle brace prevents ankle injuries. In our opinion this is strictly individual and depends on the person. One can test how the ankle feels when performing an activity with the application of a taping application or more simply just an elastic bandage. If a person, when using these means feels good, they do not cause him discomfort, feels more stable and secure, then in this case it is appropriate to use them for a while. In case wearing these devices causes some discomfort, do not feel obliged to wear them, rather focus on balance and stability training.
It is important to determine the level of preparedness before undertaking any more unusual activities such as climbing a mountain or running on rough mountain terrain. When preparation is inadequate the risk of injury occurring, not only to the ankle but to any part of the body in general, is significantly higher. It's a good idea to do some preliminary preparation before you go all out to conquer the peaks or run a marathon. Don't take this advice as a barrier, but rather as a reason to keep fit by doing some physical activity you enjoy.
These 5 tips won't 100% guarantee you'll never get an ankle sprain again, but they will help you reduce the risks and also feel safer. Should you suffer from any kind of ankle injury, we at Okto can help you and together we can work through the problem so you can get back to the activities you love as quickly as possible.
