3 Ankle Exercises to Recover After Surgery
You have undergone a surgery and your well-wishers and friends suggest that you must take complete bed rest. It is a common belief that you shouldn’t do much moving around after an ankle surgery But, the reality lies in the fact that a carefully planned light exercise regime will go a long way in helping your recover from the surgery. This is why it is important that you choose the right set of exercises. Learn how to do them and know how much workload you must be taking in order to get the optimum results. Here are 3 of the most common and effective exercises to recover from your ankle surgery:
1. Ankle Extension Exercise
The ankle’s flexion and extension ranges of motion are crucial to regaining fitness and mobility after a surgery. And, this is what a proper exercise regime with ankle extension and flexion exercises will achieve. The best part about this exercise is the fact that it is extremely simple.
When you are sitting on a chair, stretch your injured leg parallel to the floor. Once you stretch, start extending your toes forward as far as it would reach and then continue doing the same stretching in a backward manner. Continue this for at least 5 seconds. Try to accommodate 10 sets per hour. In case your doctor recommends that you wear a cast on your ankle after the surgery, performing this exercise shouldn’t be a hindrance. Just continue to push your toes against the walls of the cast.
2. Rolling Your Ankles
Rolling your ankles might seem to be the simplest exercise but according to Optim Orthopedics, it is undoubtedly one of the most effective exercises for recovery from an ankle surgery. For this exercise, the initial position will be the same as the previous exercise. Once you are set in such a position, you will need to start rotating the ankle clockwise for 10 circles and repeat the same 10 circles in an anticlockwise motion.
Make the ankle rolls as big as possible (the circular motions), but in case you feel even the slightest pain, you must start decrease the circles or stop it altogether if necessary. You can’t perform this exercise with the cast in place. Wait till the cast is removed to start this exercise. Repeat it several times during the day for the best results.
3. Walking Exercise
As you must have heard since childhood, there is no better exercise than walking and the same holds true for you when you are recovering from an ankle surgery. Wait for your doctor to give you the green signal for walking in order to ensure that you are not overworking yourself. Walking will improve the flow of blood in and around your leg and ankles along with strengthening the ankles.
Don’t forget to consult your doctor before starting with these exercises and in case you notice anything mildly painful during the process. These exercises are light and helpful in speeding up recovery.