Our ankles are actually pretty fragile little joints and you may not realize just how fragile until you sprain one. Nobody likes walking around on crutches, but there are a few ways that you can make sure that your ankles stay strong and that you avoid this common injury. Let's get started!
1. Always stretch first.
We can't say it enough, even though you have heard it all before. If you don't want to injure your ankles, you're going to have to stretch before you exercise. Even a few minutes will get you limbered up and will reduce your risks for spraining that joint. Take the time before every workout to adequately stretch out every part of your body, including your ankles. They will definitely thank you for it.
2. Wear the right kind of shoes.
Not many of us run on a treadmill in stilettos, but with some of today's workout shoes, you might as well. It is vital to have proper footwear that offers support. Make sure that you are purchasing the right kind of shoe to help increase your chances of avoiding a sprain. For example, a true tennis shoe is made for playing tennis - not basketball. It will not have the kind of support you need for jumping and running around like that.
If you don't want to have a whole closet full of shoes, try to find a really good pair of cross trainers that will allow you a wide variety of exercises. By getting the right kind of shoe, you'll be able to exercise longer and you won't be in pain. All of your joints will thank you for that.
There is one more thing to consider about shoes before we move to the next point. While it may not be the case 100% of the time, you do normally get what you pay for. A pair of cheap athletic shoes will not provide you with the same support as a more expensive shoe. There's a reason these shoes are so expensive. They are designed to help you perform better and reduce the risk of injury. You can look at this way, you can spend a few more dollars now on better shoes, or you can spend a lot more getting your ankle fixed after you sprain it.
3. Strengthen your ankles.
A lot of us have weak ankles, but there are some exercises that you can do to strengthen up those ankles and reduce your risks of injuries. Some of the best include resistance band flexes with your feet as well as the old tried and true heel raise. Keep at it until your ankles feel as strong as the rest of you.
4. Tape it.
If all else fails and you have very weak ankles, taping can be the answer. Never attempt to tape your own ankles if you don't know what you're doing. Have a sport's therapist train you on the right way to wrap, or you could make a sprain worse if you do get injured. The problems with taping ankles are that it is time consuming, incurrs on going costs for tape, you have to shave your ankles to do it right, and do even get me started on removing the tape.
An alternative in the same vein is to wear a high quality lace up ankle guard. This was a highly recommended suggestion on my college basketball team and something I had been doing since early high school. An example of such a high quality brace is McDavid Ankle X Ankle Brace.
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