The ankle, like our other joints,is a beautiful piece of work and treated fairly and without mishaps should serve us well for a lifetime.
The ankle joint is formed by three main bones: tibia, fibula, and talus. The talus articulates with the tibia and fibula and has no muscle attachments. It depends on the socket formed by the tibia and fibula to hold it in place.
The ankle is stabilized by numerous strong ligaments that surround it. When there is an injury such as a sprain those ligaments suffer but so do the
muscles of the lower leg and the foot.
UNSTABLE, WEAK, ACHING, PAINFUL ANKLES If you have been unlucky enough to enjoy an ankle sprain or a fracture or break of the tibia or fibula you might be plagued with unstable, weak or painful ankles even though the injury was a long time ago.
Whenever there is an injury trigger points gather causing the muscles to tighten and shorten. In addition some of the muscles try to compensate for the injury by performing tasks not designed for them. For our purposes a trigger point is an irritable spot that gets int the muscles when it is damaged. Trigger points are tender. Most people say it hurts good. Keep your hurt in the range of 5 to 7. You can use your fingers, thumb or even the blunt end of a Sharpie® pen or end of wooden spoon handle to find them. Hold for a steady 7 seconds and move along the line of the muscle.
HELP FOR YOUR SUFFERING ANKLE To help your ankle address the trigger points in both your lower leg and your foot. The tendons in the muscles of the leg wrap around the ankle and under the foot. Plus you have 4 layers of muscle in the bottom of your foot which also have been trying to help your injured ankle on its journey to wellness.
Follow with the Corrective Exercises 4 to 6 times a day. With 4 to 8 reps each time. The Corrective Exercises are designed to teach the muscles a new habit. Like children they need to be reminded often through the day. Teach them well.
The Illustrations are from Bonnie’s book Myotherapy available on our website store.
If you have questions or need help, email me at enid@bonnieprudden.com. For more information about Bonnie Prudden®, Bonnie Prudden Myotherapy®, books, self-help tools, educational videos, NCBTMB Approved Courses, videos free, for rent or for purchase, blogs, vlogs and newsletters, visit www.bonnieprudden.com or call 520-299-8064 if you have questions or need help. Enid Whittaker, Managing Director, Bonnie Prudden Myotherapy®