Two of the most important rehabilitation components in the early postoperative period after various ankle surgeries are joint mobility exercises and muscle strength exercises. The following is a brief description of the training methods. I. Joint mobility The normal ankle joint can move in all directions. Today we will focus on dorsiflexion (same as dorsiflexion) and plantarflexion, inversion and valgus movements. Since many patients are immobilized in a cast for a period of time after ankle surgery, it is inevitable that some limitation of ankle mobility will occur. Then, early after the cast is removed, joint mobility exercises should be performed. Here are some methods of joint angle exercises. Dorsal extension (dorsiflexion) Dorsal extension means upward movement of the ankle joint. Because of the presence of the Achilles tendon at the back, this angle is the most likely to have limited movement after surgery and is also the more difficult angle to practice. In the early postoperative period, you can use a towel or any long strip of tape for upward pulling. You can also ask your family to help you practice. During the practice, you can put a small pillow under the knee joint, which is helpful to keep the calf triceps in a relaxed state. As time passes and the strength of the ankle joint increases, you can use your own weight to practice the angle, such as the following methods 1, “lunge” The affected limb in the back, toes naturally forward, knee straight, down the ankle. This can fully stretch the calf triceps and Achilles tendon. This will solve the limitation of ankle mobility caused by the calf triceps and Achilles tendon. 2, “squat” squatting, pay attention to the toes naturally forward, the knee and hip do not skew, even if the heel did not land on the ground does not matter. The main solution to the internal causes of the ankle joint mobility restrictions. There is also a training tool for ankle angle on the market now, which can be searched by searching for “ankle angle training board” on Sompo. The affected limb can directly step on the board for angle exercises, the effect is very good and very convenient. 3.Plantar flexion Plantar flexion is the downward movement of the ankle joint, which is a relatively easy angle to practice after surgery, early on you can extend the ankle joint out of bed and let your family members assist in pressing down. 4, inversion In fact, the inversion is the common “wobbly foot” action, if the patient is post-operative external ankle ligament injury, the early practice of inversion is not recommended, usually in the post-operative review, the chief surgeon thinks that the patient inversion activity is limited when the inversion practice. In the early stage, you can practice the inversion angle by pulling the inversion with your own hands in the stilted leg position. If the ankle joint is hard in the later stage, you can also use the “ankle angle training board” mentioned above to assist the practice, but pay attention to safety. 5.External rotation is the opposite direction of internal rotation, because the structure of the ankle joint itself can limit external rotation, so the angle of normal ankle joint external rotation is not too big, and usually the external rotation is limited, mainly in the case of internal ankle injury or fracture. 6.Ice packs Early in the joint mobility exercises, there may be swollen and hot joints, then you need to use ice packs for ice, about 20 minutes each time. Second, muscle strength The easiest and simplest way to practice muscle strength in the early stages is to use elastic bands to resist, and to control the strength within the range of your pain tolerance. The method is as follows You need to practice in all directions, eventually forming a “rice” shape. For patients with external ankle ligament injuries, the lateral muscle strength should be practiced. When you are able to carry weight, you can use the heel lift method to practice your calf muscles. In the early stage when the strength is not enough, you can use the side of the foot to assist, and in the future when the strength increases, you can practice with one foot. After the joint angle and muscle strength are restored, most patients can resume normal daily life, and later for patients with higher motor needs, some proprioceptive training can be performed. Finally, I wish all patients a speedy recovery!