Rolled Your Ankle Playing Basketball? Do These Stretches to Eliminate Pain

Have you enjoyed March Madness? We saw some great games this year, and Loyola of Chicago was certainly entertaining. It’s too bad their Cinderella run couldn’t continue for the team and that adorable Sister Jean. As I write this, Michigan and Villanova are preparing to take home the trophy.   It should be a very good NCAA final.

Has the tournament inspired your little point guard or not-so-little center to get back on the court?   As more and more kids sign up for traveling basketball leagues and play-year round, we see that there is a spike in one of the common injuries of basketball – ankle sprains.

I’ve worked with pros with the Lakers, and several of the college players at UC Irvine, and whether you’re a multi-million dollar superstar on the court or you’re an inspiring teen looking to break out, it’s very common to roll your ankle.

It may seem obvious that an ankle sprain occurs in the ankle, but there are other muscles in the leg that come into play here. You have lateral stabilizer muscles that run down the outer front sides of your legs, and they work together to help the ankle. When you roll your ankle, these muscles activate and can help protect you. As a backup, your ligaments also play a role in trying to protect the area.

Here are two stretches to relieve some of the pain from these common ankle sprains.

The first exercise is the “Duck Walk.” As you can see in this photo, this is where you’d lift your toes and walk on your heels, stretching out those muscles in your ankle.   Make sure your toes stay flexed upward.

This next stretch, you want to keep your foot completely on the floor, but you want to lean forward, feeling the stretch of the muscles in the legs as you slightly lean forward. Try to curl your toes and dig into the ground. This stretch is best with bare feet or with socks.

If your child finds that the pain isn’t subsiding, you may want to see one of our specialists. We offer our $79 student-athlete Stay F.I.T. special, featuring our Fascial Integrative Treatment. F.I.T. is an innovative and advanced soft-tissue system that treats problems with muscles, tendons, ligaments, fascia, nerves, and joints. It is a manual hands-on therapy that corrects the dysfunctions that these soft-tissues can undergo. We work with athletes from all ages from 5-year-olds to professional players.

Our chiropractic team of wellness doctors – chiropractors and sports medicine specialists, Vasili Gatsinaris, DC, QME, James Kim, DC, Adam Abulghualya, DC, BS, ART and Caprice Leonard, MA, ATC specialize in chiropractic and health and wellness care. Our Irvine chiropractic office is located near John Wayne Airport, convenient for people living in Newport Beach, Costa Mesa, Tustin, Santa Ana and other surrounding Orange County communities. To learn more about our variety of services or to schedule an appointment, take advantage of our Stay F.I.T. special and contact us or call 949-263-9003 today.