How to fix bad ankles (article in the NYT)

[OakLeaf]

I almost always include some balance work in the strength segment of my aerobics classes. I try to combine standing on one leg with some one-handed strength moves to create instability, because if I do balance alone the students will get bored because it doesn't "hurt." Hopefully some of them will have read this... maybe I should print it out.

I still wrap my bad ankle when I'm doing a lot of lateral movement, like aerobics, or when I know I'm going to be walking on unstable surfaces, but I haven't sprained it in, oh, at least five years (touch wood).

[Cataboo]

I used to sprain my left ankle in gymanstics a lot when I was young - my left calf is still a cm or two smaller than my right - because I just utterly don't trust that ankle, and I still sprain it at the drop of a hat or a hole in the ground. Maybe I'll get a balance board and work at it a bit and see if I improve things.

[msincredible]

Back when I used to injure my ankles more, besides balance training, a doctor that I worked out with in karate recommended the following exercise:

Spell out the alphabet with your toes in the air. Do this a few times throughout the day. You can do this while you are sitting at a desk.