Are you someone who seems to roll your ankle regularly? Do you feel like you're always taking "wrong steps" and twisting your foot beneath you? This can be an annoying and even dangerous position to be in, and it can keep you from pursuing fun activities like hiking and sports. Thankfully, there are a few preventative measures you can take to reduce your chances of straining your ankles.

1. Do strengthening exercises

Usually, people who roll and strain their ankles easily do so because their ankles and the muscles surrounding them are weak. If you strengthen these muscles, your risk of a strain will go down. An easy strengthening exercise involves looping an elastic band (or you can use a towel if that's all you have on hand) under the ball of your foot. Pull up on the band, putting pressure against the ball of your foot, and then with your toes and foot, try to push forward against the pressure. Hold the position for 10 seconds, then release. Do this about 5 times per day with each foot.

Another strengthening exercise is simply to stand on the balls of your feet with your heels elevated. Hold this for as long as you can comfortably, then lower your heels to the ground. Repeat 5-10 times. Make sure you do both of these exercises with bare feet for best results.

2. Buy shoes for pronation.

Most people roll their ankles because they pronate their feet as they walk. In other words, your ankle probably rolls inward with every step you take. There are shoes made specifically to correct this motion. In fact, many athletic and running shoes are made this way because a lot of runners pronate. These shoes are sometimes labeled as stability shoes or ankle support shoes. It's a good idea to wear them whenever you're doing a good amount of walking or running, especially on rough terrain.

3. Visit a podiatrist.

It's a good idea to also visit a podiatrist, commonly called a foot doctor. Tell them about your tendency to roll your ankles, and have them take a look at your feet. You may have an underlying issue with loose ligaments that is causing you to roll your ankle, and they can recommend specific exercises to strengthen those ligaments and your whole ankle.

Rolling and straining your ankle is no fun at all, but there are plenty of steps you can take to address this problem.

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