Healing After an Injury: How Strengthening Your Core Can Help Heal Injured Ankles

Hi, I’m Nathan Simmers! I’m a nutrition and fitness coach specializing in helping older adults restore and maintain their health and strength!

I see people struggle in their daily lives after experiencing an injury in an accident. EVERYTHING they do becomes a strain on their body; they wonder how they can ever recover. It’s heartbreaking to see people give up when they’ve fought so hard to have a healthy life.

But I believe it doesn’t have to be this way. You don’t have to give up on your BEST self. As you grow older, you can do things to take back control! The path to overcoming pain is building healthy habits for your body, and you’ll regain your life and have fun doing it!

Let me warn you; this isn’t for everyone. There’s no substitute for consistent training. If you take the time to learn how your body works, you’ll see incredible changes. It takes faith, commitment, and determination to see the fruits of your labor flourish!

In a survey, we came across common issues people encounter as they age, and EVERY PARTICIPANT reported problems with their feet and ankles. But did you know that all the systems in your body, including your feet and ankles, affect one another? This is something trainers refer to as the kinetic chain. The kinetic chain (sometimes called the kinematic chain) is an engineering concept used to describe human movement. (Stockt, Tarina van der)

In a separate blog, I covered how every joint problem comes from a series of muscles called the Slings. These muscles interact with your whole body, from your neck to your toes. So, when these muscles are not “friends” with your body, it affects everything!

Drew, one of our clients, experienced a car accident that left him with hip and knee problems. He continued to struggle with back pain, and his posture got worse by the day. Physical therapy got him on the road to recovery, but even after completing his prescription he still had pain! Drew had trouble with hobbies he used to love, like longboarding and snowboarding.

But after we trained together, Drew has made substantial progress in both motion and body awareness.

Drew Overcomes His Injuries In Mid-Twenties, Goes Snowboarding Again

Despite the challenges his body faces today, he continues to make his training a priority. By applying easy exercises to stabilize his body, he’s bypassing the tightness and has regained movement in his joints.

But people typically don’t think about how their jobs can affect them after an accident. For Drew, this was no exception. Having an office job, he found out sitting in a desk chair all day tightened his back after every shift.

Through exercises here at Practical Nutrition & Fitness, I helped Drew know how to loosen up and FOCUS on specific muscles to ease the tension.

My Muscles, My Friends

Sometimes after an injury, our muscles don’t “get along.” When they cause us pain, we run to medication, braces, and Youtube videos in the hope of recovering. All the while, the real problem is they don’t know HOW TO MOVE RIGHT!

We want our muscles to be friends. So, we have to teach them how they can work together well. If our stance isn’t stable, our muscles won’t cooperate, and we risk FURTHER injury. And that was Drew’s biggest concern for his ankles.

For Drew, training meant exercising one muscle to help support others alongside his body. He took time to relearn basic movements to bring stability, motion, and strength... instead of believing his circumstances were here to stay.

1. Balance In All Things

I taught Drew for the first several weeks learning how to move by focusing on foam rolling and stretching and learning new, natural movements for his ankles and feet. We also concentrated on Drew’s hips and core, exercising the Sling muscles to STRENGTHEN his body.

By repeating the same exercises, Drew’s body started moving more efficiently without pain!

2. Time To Bring The Weight

As Drew continued, we focused on improving his coordination by adding resistance to his next moves. It’s important to be AWARE of your body’s stance, giving your muscles the advantage to SUPPORT each other as you add weight during exercises. Remember: The goal is to help each muscle work well together by becoming friends.

Drew developed strength in his muscles, laying upon the foundation we’d already established. He almost completely eliminated pain and restored his mobility. I was so excited to see Drew’s life change and the joy on his face of getting his mojo back!

3. Bring The Muscle

In the third step, Drew and I got to see the magic work! As we’d done the homework on how to use ALL the muscles, he began to recover the explosive power he had lost.

Over the next few weeks, we increased the resistance and number of exercises for his core and hips. Drew now understood how his body worked, and more importantly, how to handle tension in his body from his office job! He started getting back to his beloved hobbies.

Recover The Life You Want

So . . . why not YOU? As we age, we don’t have to sacrifice the things we want to do. You deserve to still go on vacation and play with the kids without hurting for the next couple weeks!

What would you give to have the life YOU WANT? Even if it’s doing basic tasks around the house.

If so, let’s get started. I'm opening up the vault for ANYONE who wants a practical, straightforward method to living without pain as you age.

FOLLOW THIS LINK to get our FREE guide to help you start moving better. Here’s wishing you nothing but the best!

Disclaimer: The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

Sources

Stockt, Tarina van der. “Kinetic Chain.” Physiopedia, Physiopedia, 30 June 2021, https://www.physio-pedia.com/Kinetic_Chain#cite_note-p6-1. (Date accessed January 20, 2022)