Preventative Treatment of Recurrent Ankle Sprains (or How to Strengthen Your Ankles)

My whole life I have felt that I had weak ankles. While it was never terrible, and I have only broken my ankle once and never had another major incidence, I would often roll my ankles, especially while playing tennis.

In chiropractic school, one of my professors, Dr. Marcus Strutz, introduced me to the wobble board. The wobble board (also called a balance board) is a device that you stand on and try to balance. After using one for awhile, my tendency to roll my ankles completely disappeared. In fact, in circumstances when I would feel my ankle starting to roll, it would self correct.

What is happening when we use wobble boards? We stand on them and we attempt to balance. In doing this, we strengthen the muscles in and around our ankles. There are many ligaments, muscles, and bones in your feet and ankles. Unlike your knees, which solely flex and extend (bend forward and backward), your ankle joint allows your foot to flex, extend, rotate to the right and to the left, evert, and invert. This requires the coordination of a great many muscles. The coordination and strength of these muscles increases from wobble board use.

In addition to increasing the strength of these muscles, you also increase your ability to balance and self-correct. As a result, you decrease your tendency to "roll" your ankle, and thus the likelihood of a sprain/strain ankle injury.

For two years, every time I stood at my desk, I stood on a wobble board. Which brings to mind the second great feature of these devices - when you stand on them, you engage all of the muscles involved in standing and balancing. If you have a tendency to get a sore back when you stand for too long, your back will not get sore!

The only trouble with wobble boards is if you have a history of knee injuries. In this case, as you strengthen your ankles, you can increase the chance of further knee injury.

In conclusion:

1. Consistent use of wobble boards will increase your ankle strength and stability, and reduce the recurrence of ankle sprains.

2. Consistent use of wobble boards will increase your overall balance.

3. Wobble boards are inexpensive and easy to use at home.

4. Wobble boards should not be used alone in people who have a history of knee injury.

Here are a few quotes from some studies:

A study done by the Department of Epidemiology at Maastricht University in The Netherlands concluded that

"It is likely that exercise therapy, including the use of a wobble board, is effective in the prevention of recurrent ankle sprains."

A study at the University of Calgary using a home-based balance-training program using a wobble board, concluded that

"Balance training using a wobble board is effective in improving static and dynamic balance and reducing sports-related injuries among healthy adolescents."

Another study looking at volleyball teams found that there was

"a significant reduction in ankle sprain risk...for players with a history of ankle sprains." However, they also noted that wobble board use was contraindicated in players with a history of knee injury, as incidences of knee injury were more common in the treatment group.