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Many years of quality instruction in basketball fundamentals and life skills here in the Pittsburgh Area. | ||||
Injury prevention is not a complete science for full prevention but steps can be taken to promote stability and better reaction to stimuli that would create one. There are five exercises that I feel are critical in developing a good prevention program for the ankle joint. 1. Calf raise - where you raise your heel and go onto your toes. Repeat 15 times and do with your foot pointed in-out- neutral. 2. Toe raise - standing raise your toes off the floor and try to maintain your balance. Repeat 15 times. 3. Four way walk on your toes - take three steps forward- sideways-backward and repeat 5 times each. 4. Standing on one leg and hold for 30 seconds. Repeat 10 times and try with your eyes closed and standing on an uneven surface 5. Heel cord stretching - Lean forward and try to keep your heel down on the floor. Hold for 15 seconds and repeat 5 times. Prevention can also take course with use of external braces to provide stability. Getting your ankle taped will also provide some support. When deciding on an ankle brace some things come to mind: 1. Types of external support - straps that add additional support or lace ups without external straps. 2. Low profile- braces that are bulky will not fit into a sneaker causing less compliance. 3. Type of material used for reinforcement like nylon, and/or neoprene. 4. Bilateral capability - some ankle braces can be used on either side while some are specifically a left or right support. 5. Easy application - not too sophisticated that it is difficult to re-apply. |
