How Soon Can I Return to Exercise After Foot and Ankle Surgery?

Returning to exercise and running after any surgery can be scary, let alone a foot or ankle surgery!  Whether you had surgery for plantar fasciitis, an ankle fracture, achilles tendon repair, ankle instability, an ankle replacement, there are a few things you’ll need to work on to improve how you move. 

Here’s step one….. GO TO PHYSICAL THERAPY! Please, do not ignore this part. Physical therapy after ankle surgery is of the upmost importance.  If you do not go to physical therapy and neglect this, your ankle and foot will most likely become stiff, weak, and give you problems when you try and return to being active.

Exercises After Foot Surgery:

Is there one exercise after foot surgery in particular you should be doing?  Are there multiple exercises you should be doing?  The big three you should be doing are calf and foot mobility, calf and foot strengthening, and motor control/balance of the foot and ankle.

Stretching Heel Cord:

A heel cord stretch is a major part of improving mobility after any ankle surgery.  Whether you had an ankle replacement, or hardware put in from an ankle fracture we have to make sure your heel cord has the proper length.  Below are three different ways to improve mobility in the calf through a heel cord stretch:

Soleus Stretch:

Gastrocnemius Stretch:

We have to make sure we have enough mobility in the ankle to return to running.  If we lack ankle mobility because of a tight heel cord our running form will compensate and we’ll be at an increased risk of ache/pain/injury.

Foot Activation:

Making sure your intrinsic foot muscles are properly activating in the foot is important after any ankle surgery.  Below are some of our favorites to get your arches activating and foot stronger:

Big Toe Press Downs:

Big Toe Activation:

Should I Do Physical Therapy After Ankle Surgery?

So should you go to a local Maryland physical therapy clinic after ankle surgery? Or, after foot surgery? The answer is, YES. 

Going to the right physiotherapist after ankle surgery will be key to getting you back to running and back to your running goals after surgery.

BONUS: Leg Exercises for Stress Fractures:

Stress fractures suck, so let’s do what we can to prevent them!  Stress fractures in the legs can commonly have a dietary component to them, however, if you don’t strength train you might be exposing yourself to a stress fracture.  Don’t worry though, here is our number one exercise to help prevent stress fractures in your legs! 

Note, stress fractures are prevented be strengthening the bone. Below is the number one strengthening exercise runners should be doing. Check it out!

Bulgarian Split Squats:

Are you coming back form an ankle surgery and want some guidance? Maybe you have a stress fracture and want to get back to running pain free? We can help!

Our team members at Alpha Project Phyzio are physical therapists work with runners, CrossFit Athletes, and active people all the time looking to get over their aches, pain, and injuries and get back to moving and running better and learn how to take care of their bodies on their own. We help people with plantar fasciitis, Achilles tendonitis, iliotibial band syndrome, shin splints, hamstring strain, and much more! 

If you’re interested in working with a movement expert and sports performance physical therapist in Maryland click the button below.

Alpha Project Phyzio has three locations in Germantown, Frederick, and Columbia.