Runners often wonder about how to avoid ankle injury. It’s usually a matter of taking reasonable precautions before and during your run. Ankle injuries range from sprains and twists to broken bones – all of which are painful and require different treatments and healing times.
Behavioural changes
You can help how to avoid ankle injury by trying the following behavioural changes. Make sure you run in well-lit areas, so you can see where your feet are falling. Unless you’re a trail addict, stick to flat surfaces with some give in them like running tracks or flat grass. Wear a good quality pair of running shoes that provide excellent cushioning and support and include a pair of performance sports insoles to increase that support even more.
Ankle and leg exercises
The best ways how to avoid ankle injury involve exercises that strengthen the muscles and ligaments that support the ankle joint.
Sit on the ground and cross your legs comfortably so that one ankle is raised in the air. Roll the ankle in clockwise circles, then switch direction to anticlockwise circles. Repeat this exercise 5 times then switch to the other foot. This will encourage blood flow and activate the muscles in the ankle area.
While you are on the ground, you can also try moving your ankles in different directions. Some people like to draw the alphabet with their feet, for example. Or, you could write out the numbers 1 to 10 in the air with the point of each foot to really increase your range of motion.
Help your calves and shins to warm up and increase strength with a series of calf raises and shin raises. These exercises are great and can be done at any time while standing. Simply raise your body weight by lifting your heels off the ground to stand on the balls of your feet. Lower down slowly. You can repeat this as often as you like, or intersperse it by rocking back on the heels and lifting the toes. Focus on keeping your ankles steady during these exercises to increase control and avoid common rolling problems.
About Enertor Advanced Technology Insoles – Enertor insoles are designed to prevent a number of common running injuries and provide more comfort. Designed by leading podiatrists to reduce your risk of injury, the unique design features support your foot throughout training. Enertor insoles are enhanced by D3O impact protection technology, which means they can provide more shock absorption than any other insole. Our expertise, combined with the patented D3O shock absorption technology, enables Enertor to deliver the most advanced injury prevention insoles on the market today.
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Whilst Enertor has over 18 years Orthotics experience, our blog content is provided for informational purposes only and it is not a substitute for your own doctor’s medical advice. Enertor advises anyone with an injury to seek their own medical advice – and do not make any health or medical related decisions based solely on information found on this site.
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