1Ankle Dorsiflexion [Knee to Wall]
- Stand next to a wall and place one foot in front of the other, its best to start closer to the wall approx. 5cm away.
- Whilst keeping your foot flat on the ground bend the knee with the aim of touching the wall.
- If you can touch the wall, move the foot back a centimetre each time until you find it difficult to reach the wall and feel a light stretch.
- Repeat/perform the exercise as instructed by your therapist as there is a few variations.
- Holding the stretch for 30 seconds up to a minute can be of benefit for people with stiffness in their ankle.
Can add weight
2Split Squat
- For this exercise you will need to utilise a bench or step to elevate the back leg.
- Take the target leg about 1 metre in front of the step/bench and position the opposing leg onto the step.
- From this position, you are going to drop your body down so your knee will bend.
- Ensure that you are not excessively bringing your knee over your toes and leaning forwards.
- Return to the starting position and repeat as per physiotherapist instruction.
3Heel Raise [Step]
- Stand on a step with one foot, hanging your heel over the edge.
- Slowly lift your heel up.
- Slowly lower your heel down, going lower than the step.
- Repeat this as many times as your Physiotherapist has prescribed.
4Step Up [Gluteal]
- Place the leg you are wanting to train on a step.
- Hinge at your hips, leaning forward so that your knee is above your ankle.
- On a count of roughly 3 seconds, step up with other leg.
- As you step up, focus on activating the muscles in your thigh, and try to keep your knee over the middle of your toes, don’t let it wobble side to side or fall inwards. This targets your quadriceps.
- As you step up, also focus on driving forward with the hips, and standing all the way up. Doing this will target your gluteal muscles.
- Reverse this movement, and slowly step back down again on a 3 second count. Remember to hinge at the hips, and keep your knee stable.
- Repeat this as many times as your Physiotherapist has prescribed.
5Heel Raise [Step Tempo]
- Stand on a step with your heels off the edge.
- Slowly lower your heels down, going lower than the step.
- Quickly lift your heels up.
- Going up should take less than 1 second, and going down should take 2-3 seconds.
- Repeat this as many times as your Physiotherapist has prescribed.
6Ankle Pulsing
- Come into a standing position and use a wall for stability if needed.
- Bounce or ‘pulse’ up and down through ankle taking the heels off the ground.
- This adds a slightly more dynamic load through the ankle, calf and achilles tendon.
- This exercise is used to prepare your body for jumping, hopping and running.