Healthy ideas for your inbox
It’s leg day. You’re dressed to sweat, and your favorite high-energy playlist is queued and ready. You’re planning to hit your glutes, your quads and your calves, but there’s something else you should add on, too: your ankles.
Yes, your ankles. Maggie Catlin, DPT, PT, a physical therapist at the Physical Therapy Clinic at the UW Medicine Sports Medicine Center at Husky Stadium, says ankle strength is important for your overall strength, health and injury prevention.
Why ankle strength matters
The goal isn’t to bulk up your ankles in the same way you’d want to have visible gains from exercising your other muscle groups; strengthening your ankles is important for your overall physical health, whether you’re a seasoned athlete or not.
Strong ankles are correlated with increased stability and decreased sway (aka those small movements you might do unconsciously to stay balanced). Having strong ankles can also help with your walking speed, how quickly you can stand up from a chair, and how quickly you can climb stairs.
“This ultimately means you can complete day-to-day activities more quickly and with fewer episodes of loss of balance,” says Catlin.
Having strong ankles can also reduce your risk of injury. If you’ve ever had a sore ankle after accidentally missing a step or twisting your ankle on a weird sidewalk crack, regular ankle strengthening can prepare you for that.
Your ankle’s overall strength and flexibility, specifically for ankle dorsiflexion — aka the movement of lifting your toes and the top of your foot towards your shin — are especially important for balance and agility.
“That range of motion can help with lower leg and hip injury prevention,” says Catlin. “Strengthening your ankles can help reduce injuries in the leg and the foot, too.”
And if you play sports, run or have generally energetic children, having strong ankles has been shown to improve performance with sports, jumping and hopping. Good for that game of pick-up basketball — or keeping up with your kid’s new jump rope obsession.
Common causes of weak ankles
If you’re still not convinced you need to worry about your ankles, think again. Anyone can have weak ankles, even people who consistently exercise.
If you’ve ever had an injury — anything from a simple ankle sprain to a broken foot, leg or ankle — you’re more likely to have weak ankles. In fact, 20% of people who have had an ankle sprain develop chronic ankle instability, which can look like the ankle suddenly “giving way” while walking or as persistent pain or inflammation in the area if the ankle doesn’t heal properly after the injury.
If you have a history of joint or tendon issues, such as tendonitis or arthritis, this can also increase your risk of weak ankles.
Some of those signs that you might have more vulnerable/weaker ankles include:
- General ankle instability or your ankle consistently “giving way” when you’re standing or walking
- Stiffness, swelling or achiness from walking or standing
- Difficulty walking along uneven terrain (like a mountain trail, gravel or uneven concrete)
- Frequently spraining or rolling your ankle
3 ways to strengthen your ankles
If you’ve never strengthened your ankles before, Catlin recommends these three exercises to start:
Double leg heel raises
Start by standing up straight with both feet flat on the ground (pro tip: stay close to a wall or countertop in case you need to catch yourself if you get thrown off balance).
Engage your calf muscles and slowly raise both heels off the floor. Then, slowly lower your heels back to the ground.
Once you have these down, Catlin says to progress to single-leg heel raises. While standing on one leg, engage your calf muscle and raise your heel off the floor, then slowly lower it back to the ground. Then repeat on the other leg.
Single leg balance
Again, stay close to a wall, counter or door frame for this one. It’s as straightforward as it sounds: Starting with both feet flat on the ground, slowly raise one leg off the floor, bending it behind you.
Try to stay balanced in that position for 30 seconds before lowering your leg to the ground. Repeat with your other leg.
If it’s too difficult to stay balanced without help, you can use the wall or doorframe to keep you stable until you feel strong enough to do it unassisted.
Standing kicks to the side
One more time, for good measure … make sure you’re near something you can grab in case you’re a little wobbly (or use for extra balance assist if you need to).
Stand with both feet flat on the floor. Engage your core, your glutes and your outer thighs and raise one leg out directly to the side. Slowly lower your leg back to the ground.
Other (lower-effort) ways to strengthen your ankles
You can also improve your ankle strength, balance and movement with side-to-side movements, which can prevent your feet from rolling underneath you. Some of these include:
- Ankle circles: Rotate each ankle in a circular motion ten times clockwise, then counterclockwise.
- Ankle inversion: Sit on the floor with your legs outstretched and turn the soles of your foot inwards ten times. Repeat on the other side.
- Ankle eversion: Place a chair next to a wall. While sitting in the chair, with your feet flat on the ground, push one foot outward against the wall and hold for six to 10 seconds. Repeat on the other side.
With each of these exercises, start with three to five repetitions, and increase as you start to feel stronger.
Take it slow
For each of these exercises, start with a number of repetitions that feel easy (or moderately challenging), then gradually increase the intensity over time. Most people start by doing two sets of eight repetitions, with a short break in between each set.
“Start with doing these exercises only every two to three days and gradually increase to a maximum of five days a week,” says Catlin. “And make sure to stop any exercises that cause you pain until you can talk with a doctor, if needed.”
And remember, even if you can’t see progress in the same way you might with other muscle groups, know that the work you do to strengthen your ankles is helping you in more ways than one — from the health benefits you get from increasing your walking speed to the overall stability you’ll feel with your improved sense of balance.
