Skaters Guide to Preventing Ankle Sprains

Skaters Guide to Preventing Ankle Sprains
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Maintain your balance, strengthen your muscles, and continually work on flexibility in order to prevent ankle sprains. In addition, you will want to do the following;

  • Warm up prior to skating.
  • Wear the appropriate size skate.
  • Pay attention to the needs of your body. Take a water break and take a moment to stretch your muscles when skating becomes too much. Continuing to push when your body has had it, is only asking for an injury. Sloppy skating due to weak legs can cause you to roll your ankle.

Ankle Sprains

Skaters are prone to spraining their ankles. Typically this occurs when the foot twists, turns, or the skate is planted at a bad angle when landing from a jump. Sprains are the ligaments stretching beyond their normal range of motion.

Ligaments do not bounce back into shape like a muscle might. Sprains can be very serious injuries. Severe sprains sometimes require surgery.

Sprains can range from the mild to the severe. Some of the symptoms of an ankle sprain include:

  • Pain, sometimes extreme pain
  • Tenderness
  • Swelling (immediate swelling is a good indication of a sprain)
  • Bruising
  • Coldness or numbness in the foot
  • Inability to put any weight on the joint
  • Stiffness

A doctor will most likely order an X-ray, since the pain and symptoms are similar to a broken bone. Bones often can heal faster and more efficiently than a sprain, so learning how to prevent ankle sprains is important information to have before spending much time skating.

Preventing Injury with Ankle Strengthening Exercises

Taking a few minutes to consciously work out the muscles in your ankle can go along way in preventing ankle sprains. Another way is to gradually increase your balance and tolerance of the heavy skate by making it a point to wear your skates around the house. Getting used to the skate and the mechanics of your foot in your skate while away from the rink or the trail is an unconventional, but appropriate training tip for skaters.

Other ankle strengthening exercises to prevent ankle sprains include:

  1. Ankle Circles. Do these with or without your skate. Sit in a chair, or lie flat on your back. Stretch your leg out and circle you ankle 10 times to the right, then 10 times to the left.
  2. Toe Raises. Without your skates, stand up and rock back on your heels, raising toes as high as possible. You can also do this seated with your legs in front of you. Pull your toes back and hold. Repeat 10 times.
  3. Heel Raises. Without skates, stand and rise up on your toes. Try this while standing on the bottom step, or on the edge of a phone book.

Balance Exercises. Work on your balance throughout the day.

  • Stand on one leg while loading and unloading the dishwasher.
  • Fold laundry with one leg out to the side, and then switch legs.
  • Do several balance exercises on skates as well.
  • Skate on one foot at a time.
  • Learn how to turn while on one foot.
  • Become proficient in crossovers to each side.

References

UC Davis Ankle Sprains-https://healthcenter.ucdavis.edu/topics/ankle-sprain.html

Family Doctor-Ankle Sprains-https://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/healthy/physical/injuries/010.html