1Heel Raise [Ball Squeeze]
- Stand tall with feet hip-width apart, placing a soft ball between your inner ankles.
- Lightly press your ankles inward to hold the ball, engaging your inner thighs and calf muscles.
- Slowly lift your heels off the ground, rising onto the balls of your feet. Focus on maintaining the squeeze on the ball.
- Hold briefly at the top, feeling the contraction in your calves and ankle stabilisers.
- Slowly lower your heels back to the floor with control, keeping pressure on the ball throughout.
- Complete repetitions as prescribed by your physiotherapist.
Small ball between heels. Progress to 20 reps
2Towel Scrunch
- Sit down on a chair with a towel spread in front of you.
- Place the targeted foot on the towel.
- Keep your heel in contact with the towel and curl your toes to scrunch the towel under your foot.
- Continue this action until your foot reaches the end of the towel.
3Toe Flexion
- Come into a sitting position with the band looped around the big toe.
- Straighten the knee and point the toes to the floor.
- Allow the big toe to lift towards the ceiling with control.
- Slowly press the toe down into the band.
4Ankle Inversion
- Secure the resistance band around the affected foot and loop it around the unaffected limb to anchor.
- With a straight knee, move the ankle so the toes are coming inwards across the midline.
- Slowly return to the start position.
- Repeat as per Physiotherapist’s guidelines.
5Crab Walk [Feet]
- Secure the band around the tops of the feet.
- Come into a squat position, sending the hips back and maintaining the knees over the top of the ankles.
- Side step controlling the movement of the stepping foot against the band.
- As you step imagine you are passing under a shallow roof, maintaining the squat depth.
1 rep = 5 steps on each side