If you haveankle arthritis, pain and stiffness in your feet and ankles can limit your ability to walk, run, or enjoy your day-to-day activities. There are many treatments for ankle arthritis, ranging from conservative to more invasive injections or surgery.
Exercise for ankle arthritis is a great way to combat the pain and stiffness you may feel. But which exercises are best for ankle arthritis?
Physical therapistsoften say that “motion is lotion” when talking about arthritis. Ankle arthritis causes painful stiffness and loss of motion in your feet and ankles, and exercise should be your main tool in combating this. Ankle exercises for arthritis can help improve the way your ankles move, decrease pain, and improve your overallfunctional mobility.
It takes time to improvestrengthand motion through exercise, so consistency is key. Committing to performing daily exercises for your ankle arthritis is the best way to see the gains that can help with your pain and limited mobility.
Ankle Exercises for Arthritis
Starting any exercise program can be tough, and if you’ve never performed ankle exercises, you may need to start slow and build your strength and mobility over time.
Initially, your focus should be on moving slowly through the exercises and gainingrange of motion.This often occurs in a non-weight-bearing position, like sitting or lying down. As your strength improves, you can progress to weight-bearing exercises like calf raises or toe raises.
When starting, you may benefit from performing five to eight repetitions of each exercise each day. Over the course of a few weeks, you can perform an extra set of each exercise, building up to two sets of 10 repetitions.
After about a month of daily exercise, you should be able to perform two sets of 15 repetitions of the ankle arthritis exercises. As a maintenance program, ankle exercises can be performed three to five times each week.
Be sure to check in with your physical therapist, physician, or healthcare provider before starting this or any other exercise program for your ankle arthritis.
Stop any exercise that causes lasting pain or discomfort. The exercises are designed to improve your strength, mobility, and function. While some exercise-induced discomfort is acceptable, lasting sharp pains are a sign that something needs the attention of a healthcare professional.
Ankle Pumps
Julia White / iStock / Getty Images
Ankle pumps help to improve the range of motion of your ankle joint.
To perform the exercise:
When pointing your toes away, you should feel a slight pull in the front of your ankle and lower leg; pulling your toes up should cause a tight feeling in yourcalfbehind your lower leg.
Ankle Rotation
Peter Dazeley / Getty Images
If one direction is more painful, try warming it up with the less painful direction before trying the painful direction again.
You should feel a slight pulling sensation around your ankle joint when performing the rotations. In cases of severe ankle arthritis,crepitus, or a grinding sensation, may be felt. This should not be painful; if it is, stop the exercise.
Ankle Alphabet
If this exercise becomes easy, you can do the alphabet A to Z and then Z to A to help strengthen your ankle more. To challenge your ankle further, try changing up the letters and draw them in cursive writing.
Ankle Strengthening Exercises for Ankle Injuries
Resisted Ankle Dorsiflexion
Ben Goldstein
The resisted ankle dorsiflexion can also build strength in ankles with arthritis.
During this exercise, you should feel tightness in the front of your shin. Be sure to move with slow, steady motions while pulling up and lowering your ankle down.
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Resisted Ankle Eversion
Eversion is to rotate the foot at the ankle away from the centerline of the body. Performing this with a resistance band adds more challenge.
To perform this exercise:
You should feel tightness in theperoneal muscleson the outer part of your lower leg while performing this exercise. As always, move with slow and steady motions during the ankle eversion exercise.
Resisted Ankle Inversion
Inversion is to rotate the foot at the ankle toward the centerline of the body.
This exercise strengthens thetibialis posterior muscle, which is responsible for supporting your inner ankle and the arch of your foot.
Calf Raises
Getty Images
Calf raises are a good exercise to help arthritis in the ankles.
Be sure to move with slow and controlled motions. You should feel tightness in your calf muscles behind your lower legs.
Over the course of several weeks, this exercise may become easy. To increase the challenge, you can try performing the calf raise on one foot only.
Toe Raises
Photo © Terence Vanderheiden, D.P.M.
You should move slowly, and you likely will feel tightness in the front of your lower leg muscles. Performing this exercise on one leg increases the challenge.
A Word From Verywell
If you have ankle arthritis, the pain and stiffness may limit your ability to walk normally. Exercises to improve the strength and mobility of your ankles may be helpful. Performing exercises for ankle arthritis several times a week can improve the way your ankles move and feel. That way, you can remain active and enjoy your normal work and recreational activities.
5 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Arthritis of the foot and ankle.Fung KWY, Chow DHK, Shae WC.The clinical effects of mobilization with passive ankle dorsiflexion using a passive ankle dorsiflexion apparatus on older patients with knee osteoarthritis: A randomized trial.BMR. 2021;34(6):1007-1014. doi: 10.3233/bmr-191799Toya K, Sasano K, Takasoh T, et al.Ankle positions and exercise intervals effect on the blood flow velocity in the common femoral vein during ankle pumping exercises.Journal of Physical Therapy Science. 2016;28(2):685-688. doi: 10.1589/jpts.28.685Guillén-Rogel P, Emeterio CS, Marín PJ.Associations between ankle dorsiflexion range of motion and foot and ankle strength in young adults.Journal of Physical Therapy Science. 2017;29(8):1363-1367. doi: 10.1589/jpts.29.1363American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Foot and Ankle Conditioning Program.
5 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Arthritis of the foot and ankle.Fung KWY, Chow DHK, Shae WC.The clinical effects of mobilization with passive ankle dorsiflexion using a passive ankle dorsiflexion apparatus on older patients with knee osteoarthritis: A randomized trial.BMR. 2021;34(6):1007-1014. doi: 10.3233/bmr-191799Toya K, Sasano K, Takasoh T, et al.Ankle positions and exercise intervals effect on the blood flow velocity in the common femoral vein during ankle pumping exercises.Journal of Physical Therapy Science. 2016;28(2):685-688. doi: 10.1589/jpts.28.685Guillén-Rogel P, Emeterio CS, Marín PJ.Associations between ankle dorsiflexion range of motion and foot and ankle strength in young adults.Journal of Physical Therapy Science. 2017;29(8):1363-1367. doi: 10.1589/jpts.29.1363American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Foot and Ankle Conditioning Program.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Arthritis of the foot and ankle.Fung KWY, Chow DHK, Shae WC.The clinical effects of mobilization with passive ankle dorsiflexion using a passive ankle dorsiflexion apparatus on older patients with knee osteoarthritis: A randomized trial.BMR. 2021;34(6):1007-1014. doi: 10.3233/bmr-191799Toya K, Sasano K, Takasoh T, et al.Ankle positions and exercise intervals effect on the blood flow velocity in the common femoral vein during ankle pumping exercises.Journal of Physical Therapy Science. 2016;28(2):685-688. doi: 10.1589/jpts.28.685Guillén-Rogel P, Emeterio CS, Marín PJ.Associations between ankle dorsiflexion range of motion and foot and ankle strength in young adults.Journal of Physical Therapy Science. 2017;29(8):1363-1367. doi: 10.1589/jpts.29.1363American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Foot and Ankle Conditioning Program.
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Arthritis of the foot and ankle.
Fung KWY, Chow DHK, Shae WC.The clinical effects of mobilization with passive ankle dorsiflexion using a passive ankle dorsiflexion apparatus on older patients with knee osteoarthritis: A randomized trial.BMR. 2021;34(6):1007-1014. doi: 10.3233/bmr-191799
Toya K, Sasano K, Takasoh T, et al.Ankle positions and exercise intervals effect on the blood flow velocity in the common femoral vein during ankle pumping exercises.Journal of Physical Therapy Science. 2016;28(2):685-688. doi: 10.1589/jpts.28.685
Guillén-Rogel P, Emeterio CS, Marín PJ.Associations between ankle dorsiflexion range of motion and foot and ankle strength in young adults.Journal of Physical Therapy Science. 2017;29(8):1363-1367. doi: 10.1589/jpts.29.1363
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Foot and Ankle Conditioning Program.
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