Ankle pump is the English name for this exercise. ankle is the ankle, the ankle joint, the ankle in common parlance; pump means pump. Take such a name is due to the role of this exercise. Simply put, it is to promote blood circulation and lymphatic return to the lower extremities through the movement of the ankle joint, which acts like a pump. Such an action is crucial for functional recovery after surgery! In addition to the injury itself, the surgery will also cause irritation to the surrounding tissues, which may require incisions, perforations, repositioning, fixation, sutures, etc., etc., and may also require the use of internal fixation plates and screws, etc. In short, after surgery, the limb will swell due to circulatory disorders caused by these traumatic stimuli (anyone who has undergone surgery will know this phenomenon). After swelling, the circulation in the distal part of the limb is even worse, so fresh blood containing nutrients cannot flow through, and blood with local inflammatory substances and metabolites cannot flow back, so the inflammation subsides slowly, and the growth and repair of tissues do not get sufficient nutrients; it also aggravates the pain because of the pressure of swelling on the tissues; at the same time, because of the braking after surgery, the blood flow slows down, and platelets stay and collect in the periphery of the blood vessels, so it is easy to form thrombus. The early thrombus is movable, in case the thrombus is unfortunately dislodged and blocked in the lungs, heart, or brain …… Well, I won’t continue to talk about these terrible ones to add to the psychological burden, but let’s get back to the topic of ankle pump. Since the swelling of the lower limbs is so harmful, it is natural to find ways to combat it. There is an apparatus that generates pressure through inflation to promote circulation in the lower extremities outside the body. It is like a pair of thick cotton pants, and after it is put on the leg, the apparatus will automatically inflate in sequence, first the foot, then the calf, then the knee, then the thigh, and then deflate it, and then inflate it again to apply pressure from the beginning. This is equivalent to gentle compression from the bottom to the top outside the body to help blood and lymphatic return to the distal end. But this method has many limitations. First, it is a passive exercise, the muscles of the lower extremities are not active, and the effect of promoting circulation is much less. And because the muscles are only squeezed, it will not enhance muscle strength. It is well known that muscle activity can squeeze blood flow back, and there are more than 500 capillaries in every square millimeter of cross-sectional area of muscle. Also, if the pain is very intense, it should not be used, because the inflatable compression is gentle again is constantly stimulating and will increase the pain. In addition, if the leg is immobilized in a cast or splint, or if it is not easy to move, it is completely unusable. In order to better promote circulation and help reduce the swelling of the lower limbs, but also to be able to move the muscles of the calf and try to avoid muscle atrophy, it is necessary to carry out the aforementioned “ankle pump” exercises. This exercise looks very simple, that is, active flexion and extension of the ankle joint. That is, lying or sitting on the bed without moving, thighs relaxed, and then slowly, but forcefully, within the limits of no pain or only a slight pain, as much as possible angle hook the toe (hook the foot upward, so that the toe towards themselves) and then step down (so that the toe down), pay attention to the maximum position to maintain about 10 seconds, the purpose is to allow the muscle to continue to contract. Repeatedly flex and extend the ankle joint in this way, preferably for 5 minutes every hour.