fallen arches and ankle problems

Morpheus

please help!!!

last year i tore the ligaments in my right ankle playing soccer, i was out for 6 months, then the injury re-occured, while getting physio last week i discovered i had fallen arches, dunno how the physio never picked it up before.

anyway i need orthotics, but while im getting them i was wondering, is there anyway to improve fallen arches, most websites say no, but some say you can tighten the muscles up in the arches by doing exercises. id prefer if i could do something natural about them, rather than depend on orthotics, but im not dumb, im getting the orthotics anyways!

also, my ankle remains weak, im wondering if anyone suffered a similiar injury, just how long it took for recovery, i strap it before playing and always wear a support at work and during the day,

ive been given the all clear by my physio to return to training, but ive to get the orthotics as soon as possible to improve my arches. I use a wobble board and thera band to strengthen my ankle muscles each night. im also changing my walk so that i walk on the outsides of my feet i.e. to stop walking on the arches. I wonder if this is good???

anyone here with any advice please give me your wisdom!!!!

p.pete

I used to have some problems with my feet when younger. The only exercise I was ever told was to trying to pick up marbles (or something similar) with my toes. Not sure if this will be of any use whatsoever, but it can hardly hurt.

Imposter

Originally posted by Morphéus
im also changing my walk so that i walk on the outsides of my feet i.e. to stop walking on the arches. I wonder if this is good???

I wear orthotics for a very different problem but I must say you shouldn't try to change your walk. If you have had a consultation and are getting properly designed orthotics for you then they will correct any problems in your posture. I'd be pretty sure you altering your walk intentionally would defeat the purpose of the orthotics.

The fallen arches are probably the reason for this injury and in time the orthotics will correct the problem provided you wear them in EVERYTHING. They will feel a bit strange at first but after a week or so you won't even notice them.

As for natural ways to correct fallen arches, sorry can't help on that.

Morpheus

Please... im looking for advice....

Has anyone here any experience with Wobble Boards and Thera bands in Ankle Sprain rehabilitation???

I injured my right ankle in soccer over a year ago and then it re-occured, im trying to get it fit for pre season training, ive been out for six months now and ive only got the all clear to start back running (i see my physio every few weeks), but it still troubles me a bit, it doesnt seem to be getting stronger, but then ive only been doing these exercises (listed below) for 3 or 4 weeks. i just have a fear it wont get strong enough again.

Ive noticed, as you can read from the threads, that i am suffering aches in my achilles too, i also get shin splints sometimes but these two problems could be calf related i.e. im not stretching it enough??? and could probably be due to my fallen arches too?? il have orthotics for them soon.... GOD im a hopeless case eh??

I do wobble board exercises almost every night, cept when im drunk at the weekend (not advisable to try balancing on a wobble board at 4am in your kitchen with your eyes shut and a belly full of beer!!)

Anyway, heres my own homemade program....
this is a wobbleboard by the way....



WOBBLE BOARD:
Both feet:
2 minutes balancing with eyes shut (helps priopreceptor recovery)
1 minute 30 sec balancing rocking forward and backward
1 minute 30 sec balancing rocking right and left

One foot only (repeated for second foot)
30 sec balance eyes shut
1 min eyes open rock forwards and backwards
1 min eyes open rock right and left

THERABAND: (elastic stretching band tied to leg of a table or chair)
heres one....



these are repeated for the other foot too
Turning right foot in towards left foot, 15 reps
Turning right foot away from left foot, 15 reps
stretching right toes down as far as possible, 15 reps
pulling toes back towards my knee, 15 reps


I know to someone who may never have suffered an ankle injury, or who has but hasnt heard of these exercises this is confusing, so if you dont know what im on about let me know and il clarify.

Im hoping somone out there has suffered an ankle ligament injury and has used these items and exercises in recovery, i want to know should i do them more than once a day? I also do exercises at work when i can.

Morpheus

Has no-one here suffered and recovered from this before!?!???

qwertyup

I didn't tear the ligaments in my ankle, but I did seriously strain them. Playing rugby, one tackler landed on my leg, flattening the foot sideways on the ground, while I had the misfortune to have another turn the rest of me the other way. Made a loud crack if nothing else.

Also found I have flat arches while at physio, so here goes.

First up, as said by others, wear the orthotics with everything, all the time. If you don't, you are just screwing yourself over. It should feel weird to not wear your orthotics with shoes very quickly.

Secondly, ankle wise, take it very easy with it. Outside of the risk of causing injury to the ligaments again, its very easy to unconsciously compensate for your ankle, and run with a different, and unnatural gait. I did this, and ended up barely able to walk for a week as a result (my hamstrings tightened up to a worrying extent).

Just do whatever the hell your physio recommends, basically, and never think you know better with regards to being "back" and so forth.

TempestSabre

I tore the ligaments badly in both sides of one of my ankles a few years back. Was in a cast (about 4-6 weeks) for too long before getting physio. So apart from re-learning the ankle to move properly again, learning to walk run, I had a hard time trying to break down the scar tissue that builds up.

I did the wobble board, some exercises with rubber bands around the feet, stretching against them, standing on one foot (the bad ankle) and throwing a ball against a wall and catching. Probably a bunch of other stuff. Don't remember now. I got a lot of physio aswell. I found walking was particularly helpful at breaking up the scar tissue. Took me a year to get back to football and never really bothered me since. But after about 3 months back at footie, I had a different problem with my knees and basically I've quit footie probably for good

Now about 1.5 yrs latter I've noticed the ankle getting stiff again, but I'm trying to fix the problem with my knees, and am working with a physio for that. Orthotics were never suggested, but a podiatrist I was seeing about something else has suggested they might be helpful with my knees.

Rogueish

Hi Morpheus,

In 90% of cases exercises do not tighten the muscles up in the arches of your foot but it is no harm to try some of these.

1. Stand in front of a full length mirror in your bare feet. Feet about hip width apart. Squeeze the cheeks of your butt together and hold. (contraction of your gluteal muscles especially your gluteus medius couses an external rotation of your femur and tibia which can improve the arches into your feet). Check out the arches in your feet. Did they improve? If the answer is yes then strengthening your gluteal muscles may improve your flat feet somewhat.

2. Towel curls. Sitting down with a long towel on the floor in front of you. keep your heels where they are on the floor and your fore foot on the end of the towel nearest you. Curl your toes back towards the heel, gathering up the towel as you go. YOu can add weight to the end of the towel to increase the 'drag' and resistance.

if you think that these exercises may help your condition, hold off on being fitted/measured for the orthotics for 4 weeks. In the meantime buy a pair of over the counter shop bought orthotics to tide you over. If the exercise do actually improve your arches, the personal measurement of the orthotics may be a bit out by the time you get them - and they are far too expensive for that.

It doesn't matter what type of orthotic you get you MUST break them in gradually 1 hr today, 2 hours tomorrow, 3 hours the day after..... and so on until you can wear then for a full day. Then ONLY when you can wear them for seven FULL days to you even contemplate exercising with them.

The greater the number of ankle sprains you have the more difficult (sometimes impossible) it is to get 100% of full function back (proprioception & stregth).

What kind of work do you do that you need to wear a support while at work and during the day? What kind of strapping/support do you use??

As one of the other posters stated changing the way you walk just means that you are placing the strain elsewhere on your body e.g. your knees, hips or lower back.

it takes time especially for a weak ankle (i.e. you have injured and then reinjured it) to recover and yes you should be doing the exercises 2-3 times daily.

As far as your achilles and shin splints are concerned. I'd say that they are directly related to your flat feet. If your feet are causing that much biomechanically related pain then I don't think that the exercises stated above are going to be hugely effective. You can imagine as you are walking and your arches are falling in how much rotational strain that places on your achilles (plus you changing your walk would seriously not help). The tibial muscles along your shin are trying to do the job of your arches i.e your arches help to dissipate and absorb the force of each footstep. That isn't happening in your case so the muscles are spasming to eccentrically lower your foot with control to the ground so that there is not a huge thud when you land.

You have the basic exercises right. Please Pm me your email address and I'll email you a progressive rehabilitation programme

BuckfastBrian

Theres a treatment you can get for sprained ankles whether its a bad tear or not. Its called Sportvis and its two injections that shortens recovery time, strengthens the ligaments and helps prevent reoccurances. Ive been gettin ankle injuries since 15 playing rugby and doing Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, kept on happening and they kept comin pretty regularly so my physio told me about it a while back. Havent got one since so i suppose it works

aye

Um this thread is over 6 years old !!

Khannie

Welcome to boards.ie BuckfastBrian.

Just a heads up: It's generally not the done thing to add to a thread that hasn't been touched in a while. No biggy though.