Prevent ankle injuries

When it comes to injuries, the best way to prevent them is educating ourselves. Luckily, I haven’t had severe injuries during my entire athletic career, but like any high performance athlete I've had strong ankle sprains that had forced me to take therapies and unwanted breaks.

Today I bring you some useful and simple recommendations from my physical therapist Luissana Ramirez that will help us to prevent those annoying ankle injuries before starting a workout session.

We must know that the stability of the ankle joint also depends on the support provided by the large muscle groups around the lower limb (from the hip to the ankle), so we must train all the muscles together for the proper operation of all joints.

First, we recommend starting with a WARM UP THAT INCLUDES LARGE MUSCLE GROUPS. This will provide an overall increase in the body temperature. The specificity and duration of the exercises will depend on the sport that we will perform.

Second, we must make SHORT-TERM ACTIVE STRETCHING (10 seconds) in Calves, Tibials, Hamstrings, Adductors, Quadriceps and Buttocks; which are essential in the stability of the lower limb.

Finally, we must do SPECIFIC MUSCULAR ACTIVATION EXERCISES. We recommend using Mini Bands and Stability Disks. The Mini Bands are useful to activate the Muscular Chain that provides stability and ankle support. The Stability Disks provide an unstable surface that helps us to activate the Proprioceptors (do it without any shoes or socks for better results).

If you are one of those who have suffered many ankle injuries, you may find it necessary to use some kind of bandage when performing high-impact exercises, every time that your physical therapist recommends.

You already know it. Learn and minimize the risk of injury... IT'S FOR FREE!!!

#english