Weak Ankles?

**Peter H.** · Posted On: 8/30/2004 9:52am

I rolled my ankle bad playing basketball when I was 18. It was high tops and boots for about the next 6 years. Even now, I keep a wrap handy, because some days I can just "feel" that my ankle isn't going to make it today.

**Deadpan Scientist** · Posted On: 8/30/2004 11:46am

Back when I used to run cross country, my coach always had us run on sand for a few miles a week. The sand really strengthens your ankles.

**SAFTA4Life** · Posted On: 8/30/2004 3:48pm

Wearing high heels will also strengthen the ankles

**j416to** · Posted On: 8/30/2004 9:58pm

Wearing high heels will destroy your Achilles tendons

**SAFTA4Life** · Posted On: 8/30/2004 11:36pm

Originally posted by j416to
Wearing high heels will destroy your Achilles tendons

Dude, I was only kidding. Dont tell me you wore high heel to try and strengthen your ankles...

**Ka-Bar** · Posted On: 8/30/2004 11:53pm

Originally posted by brandeissansoo
Back when I used to run cross country, my coach always had us run on sand for a few miles a week. The sand really strengthens your ankles.

Just in regular running shoes?

**j416to** · Posted On: 8/30/2004 11:59pm

Nah...But a couple of years ago my wife decided she wanted to start wearing some really high heels, like some of her friends at work. The heels were so high that they ended up shortening her achilles tendons. Her tendons shrunk so much that she actually rupturing them, skipping rope in a Muay Thai class that I dragged her out to.

**sage** · Posted On: 8/31/2004 5:14pm

sorry to say, but calf raises and toe lifts will help minimally. you probably rolled you ankle into inversion (rolling over knife-edge) as opoposed to rolling straight over the toes (plantar-flexion), right? if that's the case, it would be almost pointless to strenthen the muscles in the plane of calf raises. you need to work on proprioception (joint position sense) and stability in the unstable directions (obviously). buy a balance board or wobble board, or get a script from your doc for PT (dept. should cover it, right?).

**PizDoff** · Posted On: 9/01/2004 2:23pm

Get the wobble board, and after you can stand on it, bounce a ball up and down. :D
Then later on, do it off the wall and back at you.

Bouncy ball type, basketball might be too hard at first.