How to Increase Ankle Strength
If your feet and legs feel exceptionally sore and tired all the time it could be the sign of ankle weakness. Weak ankles can cause major instability and create a tendency to compensate by shifting weight to the bottom area of your foot. Strengthening your ankles will stabilize the entire foot and prevent a variety of other problems all the way up the spinal column.
Here are some devices and exercises recommended by podiatrists to strengthen your ankles and increase flexibility:
● Orthoses - Stabilizing devices, ankle bands, and braces are very good for treating weak ankles and ankle sprains. Talk to your foot doctor about custom made ankle-foot orthotics that increase stability and support and help prevent falls by minimizing poor ankle movements.
● Calf exercises - With your feet flat on the floor, rise up onto your toes and then lower. Repeat 10-15 times. While standing on the edge of a step, flex your feet up and down to fully stretch out your calf muscles and toes in both directions. Holding onto something so you don’t fall is obviously advisable.
● Walk on your heels - You can perform this exercise by just raising the front of your foot off the ground and walking around on your heels. This may be difficult at first, but the effect is worth the effort.
● Stretching - Roll your ankles gently to stretch out the ligaments and tendons by using a tennis ball under your foot and moving your ankle around over the ball.
If you are dealing with weak ankles, talking to an experienced board-certified podiatrist for proper diagnosis and treatment is essential. At Fit Feet for Life, our team of board-certified podiatrists has access to advanced technologies and years of experience to help diagnose and treat a variety of foot and ankle problems, including heel pain, sports injuries, toe deformities, nail fungus, and plantar warts. Bonnie Sanchez, DPM, and Gregory Cook, DPM, provide high-quality foot and ankle care to patients in the Tampa/St. Petersburg area at our five offices conveniently located in Sun City Center, Clearwater, St. Petersburg, and our two Tampa locations. Please contact us for more information or to schedule an appointment.