Anyone who participates in athletes knows that the ankle, along with the knee, is a potential weak link in the human body. The bones in the ankle are relatively fragile to be bearing the body's full weight, and there is often a considerable amount of torque applied to those bones when their owner is planting a foot or changing direction quickly. Just about any active person has suffered an ankle sprain at some point, and probably more than one.
Because of the ankle's weight-bearing function, ankle injuries are often slow to heal. Fortunately, there are a number of ankle exercises that can not only help the ankle recover from a sprain or break, but strengthen a healthy ankle to guard against such injuries. Most of them can be done at home, with no equipment needed.
The key to a healthy ankle is the ability to project a wide range of motion. Therefore, many ankle exercises are more isometric than aerobic, involving pushing the ankle against a fixed object with the foot in various positions. Resistance bands are also useful to provide the resistance needed to bolster range of motion.
Your bed can be the "equipment" needed for another useful exercise. Lie flat with your feet and ankles hanging off the end of the bed. First, twist and gently rotate your feet and ankles. Then, move your feet in circles. These ankle exercises will help with potential foot as well as ankle injuries.
Other ankle exercises can be done from a chair. Slowly turn your left foot inward and hold that position for six seconds, Then turn the foot outward for a similar time period. Repeat six times, eventually added small ankle weights to increase the resistance. One of the most common ankle exercises is the simple toe raise. While standing, rise up on your toes so that your heel is in the air, then repeat this as many times as seems comfortable.
Besides benefiting the muscles that surround the vulnerable ankle bones, these exercises also increase blood flow to the lower extremities. It is always best to consult with a physical therapist when trying to come back from a serious ankle sprain. Otherwise, you run the risk of entering a long and painful cycle of injury and re-injury that will keep you off the tennis or basketball court a lot longer than more gentle rehabilitation.