If it does, try to stop short of pain or do not do that particular movement
If you have pain after the sequence or the day after that is more then mild discomfort
Once the pain subsides with use of ice as needed (10-20 minutes 2-3x/day)
Do one of the movements, see how you feel after and the next day
If that goes fine do that movement and add another one the following day
Use this approach to discover which movement caused the irritation
Either discontinue that movement or an even better option…see if you can do that movement more gently by decreasing the amount of range you go through, the number of reps, or the resistance to see if you can stop it from being painful
While this program is meant to be safe, and cautious, all movements are not perfect for everyone and if as you are doing something it feels sore or hurts after, don’t do it
Many of the exercises will include multiple options to account for this
Most importantly, I applaud you for taking this step to improve yourself. It is easy to be frustrated when you have something that interferes with activities you enjoy as well as daily life. The most important thing you can gain from this experience is BODY AWARENESS.
There is something about the way you are currently using your body that has led you here. It is not necessarily about finding the perfect exercises, but about trying to feel what I am describing during the movements I give you and applying that to daily activities.
The program will begin by adding new movements gradually to avoid a dramatic increase in pain from putting pressure on structures that are not used to it
What Does My Ankle Hurt?
I want to begin by giving you a brief explanation
From review of your notes from your exam with your MD, it sounds like you have significant collapse of the arch of your foot as well as limitation in ankle mobility
I am going to get a little technical here but hang in there with me….
The Tibialis posterior is a muscle that attaches on a bone called the navicular that is basically the inside of the arch of your foot
As your arch flattens it pulls at that tendons attachment
If that muscle is weak, which it typically is, it is not able to handle the constant pull that your collapsing arch puts on it and it starts to hurt
As you your arch collapses inward, that also puts some pressure on the knee
One important concept to keep in mind is that your whole leg functions as a system, and weakness or pain in one area impacts the surrounding areas just like any machine
People like yourself typically present also having weakness in some of the lateral hip muscles, specifically glute medius and minimus, both of which help control knee position and standing balance
That being said, your program will include both hip and ankle based movements to account for limitations in multiple areas of the lower extremity
Goals:
Calf and medial ankle muscle activation without pain
Glute activation
Progression of brief weight bearing coordinating the two areas to work together
Do each sequence 1-2x/day, 1 set of 5-20 reps for each movement
Some of these exercises are easy and can be done frequently throughout the day which I will note with those specific exercises
