To ensure that the rehabilitation program is safe and effective, it is best to do so under the supervision of a healthcare provider or physical therapist. This step is especially important if you have undergone foot or ankle surgery.
Aims of the Routine
The following set of exercises should be performed three times per day. They mainly function to stretch your tendons and ligaments to improve the range of motion of the affected joints.
Before starting the routine, warm up with 5 to 10 minutes of low-impact activity, like walking or riding a stationary bicycle. As you get stronger, you can move from these stretch exercises to active strength training.
If you are not sure how to do an exercise, contact your healthcare provider or physical therapist. Stop if you feel any pain.
You can do this exercise seated or by standing and holding onto a wall or counter.
To begin:
Point your toes upward like you are trying to touch your toes to the front of your shin. Hold this position for 30 seconds, maintaining constant tension. Release. Repeat 5 times for each leg.
There is some evidence that stretching the calf muscle will improve ankle plantarflexion. You can do this exercise seated or by standing and holding onto a wall or counter:
Point your foot and toes downward as far as you can go. You should feel your calf muscles flexing at the back of your leg. Hold this position for 30 seconds, maintaining constant tension. Release. Repeat 5 times for each leg.
Line yourself up squarely in front of a wall. Press your hands against the wall for balance. Place one foot behind you and the other just front. Keeping your knees slightly bent and both heels solidly on the floor, press your hips forward until you feel a stretch along the back of your calf. Hold for 30 seconds, maintaining the tension. Release. Start with three sets of 10 exercises for each leg, working your way up to three sets of 30 exercises.
To begin:
Line yourself up squarely in front of a wall. Press your hands against the wall for balance. Place one foot behind you and the other just in front. Keeping both heels flat on the floor, press your hips forward until you feel a solid stretch along the entire calf. Hold for 30 seconds. Release. Start with three sets of 10 exercises for each leg, working your way up to three sets of 30 exercises.
To begin:
Place a pile of 20 small objects on the floor (like jacks, hard candies, or tiny stones). Use your toes to pick them up and move them to another pile. Do three sets of this exercise three times per day.
Holding a wall or counter for balance. Rise up onto your tiptoes as far as you can go without pain. Hold the position for 10 seconds, maintaining the tension. Release. Start with three sets of 10 exercises, and work your way up to three sets of 30 exercises.
As you get stronger, you can begin to do single-leg toe raises, which places additional weight on each leg.
To begin:
Sit comfortably in a chair and cross one leg over the opposite knee. With one hand, pull your toes back until the foot is fully dorsiflexed. There should be tension but no pain. With the other hand, massage the bottom of your foot immediately in front of the heel. Do this for 10 minutes three times per day.
To begin:
Sit comfortably on the floor and keep your knees straight. Looping a towel around your foot, pull the back until you start to feel a concerted stretch in your calf muscle. Hold the position for 30 seconds. Start with three sets of 10 exercises for each leg, and work your way up to three sets of 30 exercises.
Some people will do this exercise with both legs at once, but this tends to cause the foot and ankle to supinate (splay outward) and may end up exacerbating an ankle injury.
To round out your exercise routine:
Place the frozen water bottle on the floor. Roll your foot over it for five minutes three times per day. Always keep your foot moving; don’t stop and let the bottle rest on one spot.
If the cold causes discomfort, you can place a kitchen towel between the bottle and your foot. If there is pain or a prickly sensation, stop and avoid this exercise. This is especially true for people with diabetic neuropathy.
