Exercises for a broken ankle

A fracture needs protection while the bone and surrounding tissues recover. A cast or walking boot may limit ankle motion, and surgery can change the rehabilitation plan. Pain and swelling can remain during recovery, but exercise should not challenge an unstable fracture or newly repaired fixation. The ankle may also feel stiff and weak after immobilisation.

When cleared, begin with gentle toe movement and ankle motion that stays within the permitted range. Progress to seated foot movements, calf activation, supported standing, and balance work as weight bearing is allowed. Strengthening with resistance and walking practice should be supervised when needed. Elevate the ankle after activity and reduce the workload if pain or swelling remains worse later or the next morning. Follow the plan for casting, boot use, or post-operative rehabilitation exactly.

Contact your fracture team for increasing pain, new deformity, wound changes, or swelling that is not settling. Seek urgent help for numbness, blue or cold toes, severe calf pain or swelling, chest pain, or breathlessness. Do not remove a cast or increase weight bearing without instructions.

Ask when to start each exercise, how much weight is allowed, whether your boot or cast stays on, and which symptoms mean the fracture needs reassessment. Ask when driving, work, sport, and uneven-ground walking can be reconsidered.