4 Reasons to Start Strengthening Your Ankles Today

You probably don’t think much about your ankles; they just do what they do every day and make sure you get can get around efficiently. But if you have arthritis, you twist your ankle or otherwise draw painful attention to that area, you may start giving your ankles a lot more thought. 

There are ways you can start to improve and strengthen ankle areas today. Here are four of the best reasons to strengthen weak ankles:

1. Improve Walking, Running, and Other Athletic Performance

Strengthening ankles is a lot like strengthening other muscles throughout your body. When you do exercises to strengthen your feet and ankles, you’ll begin to see an improved athletic performance. That’s especially true for any activities that require quick or more jarring movements, such as basketball and soccer. When you play those kinds of sports, you are frequently pivoting and turning. Your ankles need to be strong in order to do that properly and reduce your risk of injury.

Of course, more routine activities such as walking and running may be a weak point in your overall training regimen. You should focus on exercises to strengthen your feet and ankles specifically. That will improve your gait when walking and make it easier for you to absorb the impact correctly when you run. Whether you are running for health or enjoyment (or both), getting injured can be a real risk if you don’t properly train. 

2. Avoid Future Tendonitis

If you have weak ankles, it can cause your foot to roll inward and put a lot of additional stress on the surrounding tendons, including both your posterior tibial tendon and your Achilles tendon. Eventually, that extra pressure can manifest into a larger problem for the tendons in and around your ankles.

Not only can they get sprained, strained, or torn, but you could eventually develop tendonitis. That may lead to persistent issues and discomfort long-term, most of which could have probably been avoided. While you can’t guarantee that you can avoid tendonitis by learning how to strengthen ankles, you can definitely reduce your risk and potentially improve your quality of life.

3. Enhance Mobility and Stability

If you have tight or weak ankle muscles, you’ll want to spend some time understanding how to strengthen ankle area muscles so you can stay mobile and stable for a longer period of time. This may be less of a problem while you’re younger, but getting older can mean issues you weren’t expecting — and some of those can be directly related to the strength of your ankles.

Especially as you age, your mobility and balance can be compromised if your ankles are weak. Understanding how to strengthen ankles can also improve the stability of some other connected joints, such as your knees. The more mobile and stable you are, the more you can safely do as you age.

4. Help Prevent Serious Injury

When you strengthen weak ankle muscles you can reduce the risk of sprains and broken bones. Proper training makes it easier for you to catch yourself if you start to roll your ankle, or to brace yourself to avoid a fall or other problems. While strong ankles aren’t a protective guarantee, they can go a long way toward more security as you go about your daily life. Not only can that help you feel better about your physical abilities, but it can also add to your peace of mind.

Serious injuries can be hard to come back from, and if you are unable to walk or get around because of them, you may find that you feel depressed or have other health concerns that get worse during that time. By working to prevent serious injury through stronger ankles, you’re making a great investment in your future health.

Foot & Ankle Group Is Here To Help

Ready to start some exercises to strengthen your ankles and feet? Or are you having more general trouble with your ankles, foot, or toes? Give us a call to make an appointment today. We’re here to help. 

We’ll work with you to manage or even overcome pain, discomfort, or a reduced range of motion to get you back on your feet again. Then you can go back to enjoying life, exploring the world, and experiencing all the benefits of healthy feet and ankles.