How To Strengthen Ankles And Feet?

Maintaining the strength of the muscles in your ankles and feet can ease ankle and foot discomfort and prevent injury.

Increasing motion range while also strengthening muscles reduces risk of injury and suffering. Stretching after strength training also lessens discomfort in the muscles.

We have some fantastic, simple exercises for strengthening your ankle and foot muscles, no matter if you have strong healthy feet, or are recuperating from an injured ankle or foot.

The exercises outlined below are suggested for injury prevention; injury treatment must only be carried out under the direction of a physician.

The movements can be practiced at home, work, or as part of your regular training regimen at the gym.

1. Passive Heel Stretch

This calf stretching exercise maintains and extends the ankle, and can be performed anyplace there is a wall.

To do this movement, stand upright looking at a wall, with one of your legs in front of you and your knee slightly bent.

The opposite leg can then be extended behind you with a flat heel and slightly pointed toes.

Push your hips into a forward position and towards the wall while maintaining a straight back and both heels level on the floor.

30 seconds of holding, 30 seconds of relaxation, repeat, then swap legs. For every leg, perform this exercise three times.

Flex the back knee gently for a slightly distinct stretch. Along with the calf muscles, the Achilles tendon is stretched during this stretch.

Maintaining a strong and flexible Achilles tendon is important since Achilles tendonitis can be a prevalent cause of ankle discomfort.

2. Exercises For Ankle Motion Range

Are you interested in enhancing ankle stability? Maintaining ankle flexibility and strength is all that’s necessary.

Plantar flexors and dorsiflexors are worked throughout this motion range workout.

Your ankle remains stable as long as these muscles are strong. Take a seat so your feet are off the ground to perform this exercise.

Using your foot to draw alphabet letters, start with your big toe. You should just move your ankle and foot; keep your motions minimal.

3. Golf Ball Roll

One of the simplest foot movements for conditions such as plantar fasciitis as well as other arch of the foot problems is rolling a golf ball with your foot.

All you need for this exercise is a seat and a golf ball.

Sit comfortably with your feet flat on the ground to execute this exercise. Roll a golf ball backwards and forwards slowly by placing the foot on the bottom of it.

You can ice your golf ball prior to doing this workout if you have irritation.

When you have areas that are especially sensitive, keep the ball still for 15 to 20 seconds while applying light pressure.

Spend roughly two minutes on each foot.

Tennis balls or water bottles can be used as a substitute for golf balls if you don’t have any.

4. Towel Curl And Picking Up Marbles

Your toes and feet will be stretched on the bottom and top by combining these exercises. Additionally, they are effective arthritis foot exercises.

Arrange 20 marbles just on the ground in front as you sit down for the marble grab. Pick them up with just the toes and put them in a bowl.

Put the marbles down on the ground after that and scoop them up using your other foot.

Sit down and place a towel just on the ground in front to create towel curls.

Put one foot on a towel and then curl your toes to draw the towel in your direction. After relaxing, complete 5 repeats.

Start over by changing your feet. By attaching a weight to the bottom of a towel (such as a food can), you can increase the difficulty of the towel curls.

The plantar flexors are strengthened by the combination of these workouts.

5. Standing Calf Raise

Maintaining the strength of the calf muscles supports the strength of your ankle and feet. You only need a chair or a wall for this balance workout.

Starting from a standing position, evenly distribute your weight between both feet.

For balance, cling to the wall or the chair’s back. Put your body weight on the opposite foot by raising one foot in the air.

Then, without bending your knee, lift your heel on your standing foot as much as possible, and then drop it.

This stretch should be felt all along the rear of your calf. Perform this ten times over in total, then change to the opposite side.

6. Toe Extension

Stretching and building up the foot’s arch is crucial for preventing any injuries because plantar fasciitis seems to be a prevalent foot injury.

A stretch for plantar fasciitis treatment or prevention is the toe extension. All you require for this exercise is a seat.

First, take a seat upright in a seat with your feet down on the ground. Pull the toes of the left foot upwards to the ankle and place it on your right thigh.

The heel chord and sole should feel stretched.

Stay there for about 10 seconds, massaging the foot’s arch to relieve stress and discomfort. Repeat this exercise ten times for both feet.

7. Plantar And Dorsiflexion Exercises

Plantar flexion exercises refer to the downwards stretching of the toes, whereas dorsiflexion is the curving of toes toward the ankle.

You can run and walk by combining dorsiflexion and plantar flexion movements. This is a crucial ankle movement for both flexibility and strength.

Initially, sit on the ground with your legs extended. Wrap a resistance band around your foot and fasten it to the leg of a table or chair to do the dorsiflexion exercise.

Return to the starting posture slowly by pulling your toes in toward you. Perform this exercise 10 times for both feet.

Wrap the resistance band over your foot then grasp the ends with your hands to perform plantar flexion.

To slowly get back to the starting position, point your toes. Perform this exercise 10 times for each foot. Ensure that your leg remains neutral and the heel is pressed firmly into the ground.

Final Thoughts

To be capable of walking, running, and maintaining our balance, our feet and ankles must be healthy.

Your feet will stay happy and healthy if you take the time to stretch and strengthen them.

Hopefully this article has provided you with a few new ideas for foot and ankle exercises; which will keep them in great condition and also help you in any other exercises you do.