Many people heavily focus on strength training and/or cardio exercise to improve their fitness and overall sport performance. These are both key components that can help performance, but there is one other type of training that has been shown to be beneficial in prevention of ankle injuries. Studies evaluating ankle injuries in soccer players have shown that implementing balance training into a workout regimen can reduce ankle injury rates by 36% per 1000 hours played.
Benefits of Balance
Balance requires a coordinated effort between many major muscle groups of the hip, knee and ankle. Performing balance exercises can improve the ability to activate these muscles to improve their ability to work together to maintain balance. With repetition, this can increase the strength of the muscles surrounding each joint. This improved strength and improved communication between the muscles and the brain results in more stability and ultimately, lower the risk of injury.
Progressions
The benefits of balance training can be gained at all skill levels. For example, standing with the feet together on a firm floor can be challenging for some. But, as balance improves, this can be progressed to single leg stance, single leg stance on a soft surface, and single leg stance on a soft surface with additional motions or tasks. There are a wide variety of progressions that can be performed and they can be geared towards sport specific activities or general day-to-day activities depending on the person.
If you suffer from ankle injuries or have poor balance, physical therapy can help you. A physical therapist can identify factors that contribute to your difficulties and construct a tailored plan to improve your function and minimize risk of injury or falls. If you have any pain or difficulty with daily activities or sports, call Respire Physical Therapy at 703-671-1871 or click here to request an initial evaluation with a physical therapist!
Tags: choosept, sport injury, fallschurchva, ptworks, painfreeliving, Physical Therapy, balance training, Respire Physical Therapy, pt education, ankle pain, regain your movement freedom, evidence based practice, physical therapist
