Take your shoes and socks off. Stand on a flat surface and try to balance on one leg with the stance knee slightly unlocked. Can you do this ON EACH LEG for ten seconds without losing your balance or having to use your other foot to touch the floor? If you cannot, you need to work on it.
One in three people over the age of sixty-five will fall each year. This is of enormous consequence if you consider orthopedic injuries, rehabilitation, and time lost from work and productive activities. Balance is a key issue that adults will commonly leave out of structured exercise routines. This is a huge mistake.
Standing on a BOSU Balance Trainer
The muscles of the foot and ankle are especially crucial in maintaining healthy balance. When our balance is perturbed, the muscles surrounding our foot and ankle are the first line of defense in maintaining our upright position. Wearing shoes can cause weakness in the foot muscles: shoes take over the job of the foot muscles by stabilizing the foot like a corset. If deemed appropriate by your doctor, try the following progression of exercise. You should notice an increase in your ability to balance.
1. Practice single leg balance (with shoes off) on a flat surface as described above. Try to get yourself to the point where you feel a good amount of fatigue in the ankle and foot. This may take anywhere from ten seconds to a minute or more. If you cannot maintain balance on one foot, use the other foot to touch the floor and momentarily steadily yourself. The goal is to spend as much time on one foot as possible until fatigue sets in.
2. Once you can balance without problems for thirty seconds, you may try to make the exercise more challenging by trying the same single leg balance exercise on a pillow or couch cushion. Follow the same rules.
3. The ultimate balance challenge will come from standing on a “BOSU” apparatus (above picture). Most gyms will have this piece of equipment: they can also be purchased for around 120 dollars online or at a sporting goods store. We have our patients stand with the balancing leg on the “center of the bulls-eye.”
Below is a video of our simple single leg balancing exercise. Make sure that you are totally free of distractions during these exercises!
Image credit: Product photo from BOSU.
So about 2 weeks ago I rolled my ankle really bad I was wondering if its possible that I fractured my ankle because there is bruising just swelling near the main ankle bone. I am able to balance on the injured foot. When I bend my ankle inward I feel a sharp pain to my ankle. I think it is just sprained bad but I wanted to make sure before I go see a podiatrist.
It can be tricky to determine if there has been a fracture, but if there is significant bruising I would see an ortho or podiatrist to get an x-ray.
Hi please help🙏🏻Me
I had a twisted my ankle in January I didn’t go to the doctor until 3 weeks after it happened and the doctor told me to take some ibuprofen and to put ice basically I was wearing a boot when I when to see him and he thought I was exaggerating because he touch me and I couldn’t feel any pain the true is I have a very high tolerance to pain is been 4 months now and i have not been able to run again or walk for longer a period of time like I used to I feel
Like my step has change at first I though I was doing it to protect my ankle but as much I try it I can’t do it the right way anymore and it feel like a pulling on my feet arch when I do it more Than 7000 steps covid 19 kind of got me lock down and I can’t go to doctor now 😭
I would guess that the ankle is stiff from the initial sprain. I would make an appointment to see a physical therapist. There are things that you can do to get the mobility back but it does depend on what the PT sees and feels.
This sounds like a case where seeing a PT would be beneficial. The joints of the ankle are probably stiff from the sprain and needs to be moved again. PT’s can be quite good at this type of work.