HealthInfo Waitaha Canterbury
Stretches for your ankles & feet
Toronga mō ō whatīanga waewae me waewae
The stretches on this page are ones you can do at home for minor injuries that you do not need to see a health professional for.
You should see a health professional if you aren't getting better within a week of doing these stretches.
Long calf stretch (gastrocnemius)
This exercise stretches the gastrocnemius muscle in your calf. It can help for heel pain, pain in the ball of your foot, shin pain and if you're recovering from an ankle fracture.
- Place your hands on a wall with your injured leg behind you.
- Keep your back knee straight and your heel down. Keep your toes straight unless:
- if the tightness is on the outside of your calf, turn your back foot slightly out
- if the tightness is on the inside of your calf, turn your back foot slightly in.
- Bend your front leg, so that the calf in your back leg stretches.
- Hold it for 30 seconds.
Short calf stretch (soleus)
This stretch works on the soleus muscle in your calf. It can help with shin pain.
- Place your hands on a wall, with one leg just slightly behind you.
- Put your weight on your back leg with your knee bent, heel down and feet straight ahead. Keep your heel flat.
- Keep your toes straight ahead unless:
- if the tightness is in the outside of your leg, turn your back foot slightly out
- if the tightness is in the inside of your leg, turn your back foot slightly in.
- Bend your rear knee forward over your rear foot.
- Hold for 30 seconds.
Single leg balance
This exercise helps to improve your balance. It can help with a sprained ankle and recovering from a broken ankle. If you're doing it to strengthen an injured ankle, you only need to do it with that leg. If you want to improve your balance, you can do it with both legs.
- Balance on one foot by bending the other leg behind you.
- Make sure that your knee on the foot you're balancing on is pointing straight ahead (in line with your second and third toe).
- Hold this for 30 seconds.
Static isotonic hold
This exercise helps to build the strength of your plantar fascia. It can help to ease heel pain.
- Place your toes and the front of your feet on a step, with your heels hanging off.
- Place your weight through your heels, to load the arches of your feet.
- Keep your knees straight.
- Hold this for 45 seconds.
Repeat this four or five times a day. Once it becomes easy, you can progress to doing one leg at a time.
Written by HealthInfo clinical advisers. Last reviewed April 2023.
SourcesReview key: HICCA-28239
