PROGRAM OVERVIEW: Welcome to the ankle reset program. This is an 8-phase program that will guide you through progressive exercises to strengthen your ankle and help you return to full activity. The program will begin with mobility and light activation, then progress through stability & strength, and finally will build you up for shock absorption in activities like jumping and running.

FOCUS: This program focuses on helping you return to your activities after a mild to moderate ankle sprain. It is progressive in nature and initially focuses on pain reduction. As you advance, you will work on your mobility and movements and finally finish with strengthening and plyometrics exercises for a safe return to sport.

PROGRAM STRUCTURE: 8 Phases - You will perform each phase for at least 1 week prior to moving on to the next phase. Follow our guidelines in each phase to know when you are ready to progress to the next one.

SESSION STRUCTURE: The mobility & exercise sessions are to be repeated multiple times (3-4) throughout a given week on non-consecutive days. One full session should take you approximately 30-40min to complete.

EQUIPMENT: Foam Roller, Yoga Block, Miniband, Long Exercise Bands, Dumbbells (light / medium / heavy)

This program is for educational purposes only. You should consult your physician prior to engaging in this program.

Education

Phase 1 is tailored toward management of the acute phase of injury. We will use techniques that help reduce swelling and create light activation through range of motion exercises. The achievable range of motion in the exercises may look very different from one person to another based on the degree of tissue injury. What is important is to exercise within your pain-free range even if that means you are barely moving your ankle/foot during these first few sessions. Even in an injured state, we want to continue to move in non-painful ways to improve circulation of the healing area.

Activity Modifications

1. Consider wearing light compression around the ankle for swelling management and light support.

2. Avoid activities that are painful and stressful to your ankle.

Progression Criteria

1. You performed phase 1 for at least one week for the prescribed amount of times.

2. You have experienced a reduction in swelling and pain.

3. You have made progress with your pain free range of motion exercises.

Education

Although you may experience fluctuation in your pain, you should be progressing into lower levels of daily pain. Continue to move in pain-free ways and be mindful of your limitations in regards to your activity. As your pain decreases, it will become more and more important for you to maintain healthy movement to prevent re-injury.

Activity Modification

• Continue to avoid or limit painful activities.

• Continue to engage in non painful activities.

• Use heat or ice as needed to control pain.

• Optimize sleep and reduce stress level.

Progression Criteria

1. You performed phase 2 for at least one week for the prescribed amount of times.

2. Your pain has continued to decrease.

3. You can perform all exercises of phase 2 with minimal to no pain.

Education

When we sustain an ankle sprain, even mild, the effects are more dramatic than most of us imagine. One notable effect is that our proprioception is impaired. In other words, we lose some of the capacity to get information from our feet in order to maintain balance and remain stable and it tends to stay that way even after full healing unless we do something about it. It may explain why some people will go on to easily sprain their ankle over and over after the initial injury. Regardless, that is why in phase 3, we begin introducing more balance and stability work.

Activity Modifications

• Consider wearing light compression around the ankle for swelling management and light support.

• Avoid/limit activities that are painful and stressful to your ankle.

• Maintain good sleep and eat plenty of protein to boost healing.

Progression Criteria

1. You performed phase 3 for at least one week for the prescribed amount of times.

2. You have experienced a reduction in pain.

3. You have made progress with your pain free range of motion exercises and you are able to apply more force with the isometrics than during the first session of phase 3.

Education

As we move away from the isometrics and add movement to your strengthening, it is important to choose the right tension and potentially reduce your range of motion in order to do so without pain. Make sure you progress at your own pace and the main focus should be on achieving full range of motion prior to using a heavier resistance band.

Activity Modifications

• Consider wearing light compression around the ankle for swelling management and light support.

• Limit activities that are painful and stressful to your ankle.

• Maintain good sleep and eat plenty of protein to boost healing.

Progression Criteria

1. You performed phase 4 for at least one week for the prescribed amount of times.

2. You have experienced a reduction in pain.

3. You have been able to make progress with your range of motion during your ankle exercise with a band.

Education

As we continue to progress strength and stability work, it is important to recognize where you are and make sure you can perform the exercise with good form and without significant pain to avoid over stressing your ankle. We provide you with several ways to scale down the activities as needed. 

Activity Modification

1. Gradually ease back into your activity as pain allows.

2. Maintain good sleep and eat plenty of protein to boost healing.

Progression Criteria

1. You performed phase 5 for at least one week for the prescribed amount of times.

2. Your pain continues to decrease.

3. You are able to perform all exercises without pain and good form.

Education

We are now working in multiple planes of motion and even introducing some plyometrics. All those activities have a higher potential to irritate your ankle so make sure you perform them within your pain free range to avoid any set back.

Activity Modifications

1. Gradually ease back into your activities as pain allows.

2. Maintain good sleep and eat plenty of protein to boost healing.

Progression Criteria

1. You performed phase 6 for at least one week for the prescribed amount of times.

2. Your pain continues to decrease.

3. You are able to perform all exercises without pain and good form.

4. You have no signs of irritation after the sessions.

Education

We are now working in multiple planes of motion and advancing plyometrics. All those activities have a higher potential to irritate your ankle so make sure you perform them within your pain free range to avoid any set back.

Activity Modifications

• Gradually ease back into your activities as pain/discomfort allows.

Progression Criteria

1. You performed phase 7 for at least one week for the prescribed amount of times.

2. Most activities are now pain free.

3. You are able to perform all exercises without pain and good form.

4. You have no signs of irritation after the sessions.

Education

The focus of this phase is to become familiar with changing directions and accelerating/decelerating in different directions. We advise that you start easy with a slower speed and increase your speed as you get comfortable up to the point that you are matching the speeds that you will be performing during your activities. As always make sure you perform these drills pain free.

Activity Modification

• Gradually return to your sport. If you are a runner, run first on asphalt prior to returning to the trails. If you are a field athlete, make sure you have a few practices under your belt without issues prior to going back in the game.

Progression Criteria

1. You performed phase 8 for at least one week for the prescribed amount of times.

2. You are able to match the speeds of your sport without pain or form degradation.

3. You are able to perform all exercises without pain and good form.

4. You have no signs of irritation after the sessions.