Kinesiotherapy for Your Injured Ankle
Ankle injuries are by far the most common type of leg injury. The significant discomfort and loss of mobility experienced because of ankle injuries can be easily remedied by Kinesiotherapy. The patient rehabilitation program will work on two key areas. First will be returning mobility to the injured ankle through various stretching exercises. Second is to strengthen the ankle muscles so that you may carry your weight without much effort.
Kinesiotherapy Stretching Exercises
At the early stages of ankle injury, these basic stretching exercises can be done to prevent the ankle from seizing up. Pull the foot towards yourself as far as it can go and hold it in that position for three seconds. Then pull the foot away from your body and hold it there for another three seconds. Before you begin this exercise make sure you ice your feet sufficiently to numb the pain in your ankle.
The next exercise will stress your ligaments. This exercise should only be done after a suitable recovery period when the pain has sufficiently abated. Guidance of a Kinesiotherapist is advised. Rotate the ankle slowly with the pivot as the heel. Perform this exercise until you feel pain in the ankle.
This is a more lightweight stretching exercise for the elderly and can be done several times a day. Hold your hands up against a wall and push against it. The pressure should be felt on your lower feet. Bend your ankle to divert the pressure to them. Continue doing so till the pain becomes unbearable.
Kinesiotherapy Strengthening Exercises
Ankle strengthening exercises should only be done in the later stages of recovery when the pain has significantly reduced. The purpose of these exercises is to strengthen the ligaments and keep them from tearing again.
Push your feet against a suitable resistance for up to ten seconds. Repeat this ten times. Tie your ankle to a resistance and pull away from it for a count of ten. Repeat this exercises ten times. Both these exercises can be done several times a day.
Lift your non injured foot up and balance yourself. Time how long you can remain balanced on the injured foot. Perform this exercise daily to improve your sense of balance.
A more advanced form of the previous exercise is hopping on one foot. First begin hopping front and back. Then hop sideways and diagonally after that. Finally, try hopping sideways, diagonally, front and back all at once. When you can perform these exercises with sufficient ease it means your ankle has regained its strength.
Kinesiotherapy is the way to go for the elderly and athletes who need to regain their ankle function. Professional physiotherapists are trained in therapeutic practices involved in Kinesiotherapy. An injured ankle is just one of the many things that can be resolved by Kinesiotherapy at physical therapy Edmonton.
