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Suggest Remedy For Weak Ankles And Knees
Question: Hi, this is just out of curiosity. Today at work I was walking away from one of my coworkers/friend and she mention that might be pigeon toed. She said my feet were turned in as I was walking. I told her I haven't really noticed. So I'm trying to do some research because I'm clumsy and like to fall alot. I have slightly week ankles and knees and was wandering if this could possibly be the cause of my constant stumbling and falling. My family doctor has already suggested I wear my ankle braces until my ankles get stronger. Is there anything else that I could be doing to help this.
Brief Answer:
Physical therapy.
Detailed Answer:
Hello and welcome,
The purpose of bracing parts of the body is usually just to decrease the stress on the area after an injury, until that injury heals. But the down side of braces is that if worn for a long duration, the associated muscles can get weaker - not stronger. So once the inflammation from an injury is down, exercises to make the area stronger are in order.
I would highly advise seeing a physical therapist for evaluation of your leg-foot alignment and also for ankle strengthening exercises. These usually include proprioception (position sense) training that can help for preventing further ankle injuries.
If your possible pigeon-toe is significant, the physical therapist may recommend you consult an orthopedic surgeon for evaluation. I doubt that your feet are significantly turned in or you would likely have noticed it by your age.
But I would first start with physical therapy.
I hope this information helps.
Physical therapy.
Detailed Answer:
Hello and welcome,
The purpose of bracing parts of the body is usually just to decrease the stress on the area after an injury, until that injury heals. But the down side of braces is that if worn for a long duration, the associated muscles can get weaker - not stronger. So once the inflammation from an injury is down, exercises to make the area stronger are in order.
I would highly advise seeing a physical therapist for evaluation of your leg-foot alignment and also for ankle strengthening exercises. These usually include proprioception (position sense) training that can help for preventing further ankle injuries.
If your possible pigeon-toe is significant, the physical therapist may recommend you consult an orthopedic surgeon for evaluation. I doubt that your feet are significantly turned in or you would likely have noticed it by your age.
But I would first start with physical therapy.
I hope this information helps.
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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