Sprained Ankle Rehab Program Exercises | Doctor and Physiotherapist led

In this video Dr O'Donovan (medical doctor) and Ella Boys (physiotherapist) cover an ankle sprain rehabilitation program - vital for healing a sprained ankle and for full recovery.

An ankle sprain (twisted ankle) is one of the most common musculoskeletal injuries in people of all ages and proper rehab is vital for a sprained ankle to recover.

The injury occurs when one or more of the ligaments in the ankle are stretched or torn, causing pain, swelling, and difficulty walking. Many people try to tough out ankle injuries and don't seek medical attention. But if an ankle sprain causes more than slight pain and swelling, it's important to see a clinician. Without proper treatment and rehabilitation, a severely injured ankle may not heal well and could lose its range of motion and stability, resulting in recurrent sprains and more downtime in the future.

The equipment you will require for this is a towel, or resistance band and a chair.

For the initial stage of injury focus on reducing pain and swelling. You can use the RICE method for this - Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation are crucial for the first few days to reduce pain and swelling.

The program is split into five phases:

Phase 1 - The Early Days Following Injury
The goal here is to regain movement as soon as pain allows so this means beginning with gentle stretches and then moving to range-of-motion exercises once the stretches become tolerable.

Phase 2 – this is typically Days to Weeks After Injury.
The goal here is to do range-of-motion exercises to mobilize the ankle.

Phase 3 - This is when you are Weight-Bearing Comfortably
The goal here is to improve your balance and strengthening and we will cover four great exercises for this phase here, all of which involved resisted movement which will really help building the strength back in the ankle and hopefully make you feel more confident following your injury.

Phase 4 - This is the advanced stage of rehabilitation and involves balance exercises. These exercises will really help for ankle stability.

Finally, if you have worked your way through this whole program and are looking for some bonus exercises for additional strengthening we have included some bonus rehab exercises.


*Website resources*

Link to Ella's page:   / ella.physio.fit  

Ankle sprain rehab: https://www.versusarthritis.org/media...

Video made: March 2025

DISCLAIMER: If you are uncertain about any of these exercises, always speak to your own health provider or physiotherapist first. This video is intended as a general educational resource only and should never replace individual advice given to you by your own provider.

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Disclaimer:

The video is intended as an educational resource only. The information within this video or on this channel isn't designed to replace professional input, so if you have any medical issues please consult a medical provider. No professional relationship is being created by watching this video. Dr. O’Donovan cannot give any individual medical advice. All information should be verified for accuracy by the individual user. Dr O’Donovan accepts no responsibility for individual interpretation of data, although it is always accurate to the best of his knowledge at the time of the video being published. This is an EDUCATIONAL video. Images are used in accordance with fair use guidelines.

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