Keep spraining your ankle? You may have chronic ankle instability. This causes you to sprain your ankle over and over. A simple single leg balance test predicts whether you will keep spraining your ankle.
The Single Leg Balance Test for Ankle Stability
Balance on one foot not wearing a shoe. Don't touch your legs together. Close you eyes and balance for 10 seconds. After on practice try repeat the test.
If You:
1. Feel Off Balance
2. Touch Your Legs together
3. Touch the Floor with Both Legs
4. Move your Arms
You Have Chronic Ankle Stability
What Causes Chronic Ankle Instability?
Your ankle sprain disrupts the normal signals between your brain and your ankle. You lose coordination of your ankle. One was to check coordination is to check your balance. Like the single leg balance test.
How to Git Rid of Chronic Ankle Instability
The only was to get rid of chronic ankle instability is to fix the coordination. You need to do ankle exercises. You should include balance, coordination and strengthening exercises. Here are exercises you can try at home:
1. Strength & Coordination: walk on your heels and toes going forward, backward and to each side.
2. Balance: work on balancing on one leg. When this gets easy try to do this with your eyes closed.
If this doesn't work or you are not sure you need physical therapy. Your physical therapist will find the cause of your chronic ankle sprains. Then they will work with you to design a treatment program for your chronic ankle problems. Physical therapy is a proven way to treat chronic ankle instability.
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Christopher DiPasquale, PhD, PT, OCS, SCS, CHT is a physical therapist at Performance Physical Therapy & Sports Medicine with offices in Hebron and Colchester, Connecticut. He is board certified by the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties in Orthopedic Physical Therapy and Sports Physical Therapy and a Certified Hand Therapist by the Hand Therapy Certification Committee.
For more information visit pptsm.com or call the office: Colchester 860-537-3014 or Hebron 860-228-4883