Running on a flat, easy track but your ankle keeps rolling? Does a seemingly fully recovered sprain come back with a vengeance? Going upstairs and feeling wobbly? All symptoms of the same frustrating condition: ankle instability.

Whether it’s the result of previous damage or an acute instability settling in after an injury, ankle instability can feel exasperating for seasoned runners or hikers. You may feel you simply cannot trust your ankles anymore. This can lead to losing confidence, exercising less, and feeling even more deflated. But the good news is that this is not only a common problem, but it’s also a treatable one with the right approach.

In this article, you’ll discover what happens when you start experiencing ankle instability, the common causes and symptoms, and the key exercises to build strength back up again to help you feel confident. You'll also learn about some useful supporting recovery tools and tips to consolidate your recovery work.

Ankle instability occurs when the ankle:

• Repeatedly gives way

• Feels unreliable or shaky

• Or is prone to rolling

Ankle instability is that feeling of not fully trusting your ankles when you’re on uneven ground or when you go up and down stairs. It tends to happen more on terrain like grass, gravel, or mountain trails, but if you’re suffering from serious instability, even the sidewalk can become a pain to navigate.

This is a slightly different condition than ankle hypermobility, where the ligaments and connective tissues allow the ankle to move past the typical limits. When you’re hypermobile, you might not feel unstable or suffer from pain (unless you severely sprained the ankle as a result of the mobility).

You may have seen ankle instability accompanied by the adjectives “acute” or “chronic.” There’s an important difference between the two conditions:

• Acute ankle instability refers to the feeling you get right after a sprain. The ankle is sore, wobbly, and tender; it needs rest and you’ll typically feel a lot more stable and stronger within a few weeks.

• Chronic ankle instability is the term for ankle issues that go on for many months, maybe even a year or more; you’ll typically have multiple moments where your ankle gives way, feeling like it’s not recovering fully. According to a medical report, chronic ankle instability often occurs because of poor rehabilitation from an injury (like a sprained ankle).

If you feel like you still can’t trust your ankle on uneven surfaces after a long while since you’ve been injured, or if you keep re-spraining your ankle, then you’re most likely dealing with chronic instability.

So, why do you get unstable ankles and why does chronic ankle instability strike even after you’ve done all the right things following an injury?

The main causes include:

• Multiple repeated ankle sprains: lateral sprains can cause the ligaments to heal in an elongated position (aka fully stretched position) and provide less control over the joint.

• Every additional sprain further stretches or weakens the ligaments - the result can be a cycle of instability, re-injury, and progressively poorer ankle control.

• Incomplete rehabilitation of an injury: this includes returning to physical activity too soon after a serious ankle sprain, which the American Association of Orthopedic Surgeons considers to be the most common cause of chronic ankle instability.

• Persistent ligament laxity or an unhealed ligament tear: if damaged ligaments don’t heal correctly, your ankle can stay too loose and unstable.

• Impaired proprioception: if you’ve injured your ligaments, the perception of position of movement can be affected (this is proprioception). The Journal of Manual & Manipulative Therapy mentions balance and proprioceptive deficits in patients with chronic ankle instability (which both exercise and neuromuscular and balance interventions can improve).

• Poor balance and postural control: if you struggle with balance on uneven terrain or if you have poor running form, you will find it difficult to keep the foot and lower leg aligned during walking, landing, and changes of direction. This makes it more likely to re-sprain an ankle.

• Impaired neuromuscular control: if the muscles around the ankle aren’t properly activated before you head out, you will not be able to react quickly enough to an unexpected inversion movement - increasing instability.

• Weak ankle-supporting muscles

• High arches: an inward-tilting heel combined with high arches places the foot in a position that is more susceptible to rolling outward.

Keep in mind: Some people’s ligaments may simply be looser - so you may naturally have more unstable ankles as a result. This will make you more susceptible to chronic ankle instability without any prevention.

The hallmark symptom of chronic ankle instability is the persistent feeling that the ankle is about to give way when you move or even roll unexpectedly.

Additionally, you may experience:

• Buckling or rolling ankles

• Recurrent sprains, often caused by minor movements

• The ankle twisting easily when you run, walk, or jump

• Persistent or recurring pain, especially on the outside of the ankle

• Tender ligaments

• Reduced range of motion or stiffness

• Poor balance and difficulty in controlling the ankle

Pain is not always prominent. As the ligaments become increasingly loose, your ankle may roll with less force and therefore, sometimes not hurt anywhere near as much as before. However, the instability continues.

If you don’t treat chronic ankle instability, you may develop long-term mobility issues. For most people, a conservative initial approach is best, starting with physical therapy guided by a medical professional. Medical interventions like injections or surgery (in case of severe or structural damage) are the extreme end of the spectrum of responses.

Rehabilitation for unstable ankles typically focuses on strengthening the muscles around the ankle, improving balance and proprioception, restoring mobility, and retraining the ankle to respond more effectively to uneven surfaces or sudden changes in direction. Clinical research states these are effective for managing chronic ankle instability.

Many of the initial ankle instability exercises can be continued at home, once you’ve learned the technique. You could additionally use an ankle brace for extra stability or to prevent another sprain (especially on uneven ground). Compression socks or sleeves will help manage mild swelling and provide light sensory support. They should, however, always be used as a complement to the stability exercises.

Consider speaking to a doctor or physical therapist if your ankle frequently gives way and begins to interfere with walking, exercise, or everyday activities. You should also seek care for severe or worsening pain, swelling that does not improve, or difficulty putting weight on the ankle.

If you have followed a consistent strengthening and balance program for several weeks without noticing progress, a clinician can check for ligament damage, tendon problems, or another underlying cause. In most cases, identifying the problem early allows treatment to remain conservative.

A research-backed approach to treating unstable ankles is to perform essential exercises: build strength, retrain your balance and proprioception, and add dynamic movement once you feel stable and strong. This will give your body the adequate time to build back while avoiding a new injury. By completing these exercises in phases, you can feel confident in improving your ankle instability. Start with building strength, then retrain balance and proprioception, and finally move onto dynamic movement.  

Research into unstable ankle treatment suggests that combined strengthening and neuromuscular training will offer the broadest rehabilitation benefits through improving functional stability while addressing the strength, balance, and proprioceptive deficits associated with chronic ankle instability. Balance and proprioceptive exercises remain particularly important for restoring dynamic postural control.

How to make the most of these exercises:

• You don’t need to go to a gym or have special accessories. Most of the exercises below require minimal space and can be done at home, especially in the beginning.

• Ensure you warm up with 5–10 minutes of walking or cycling before you start, so your muscles are ready to work.

• Always progress at your own pace. If your body doesn’t feel ready for three sets, for example, it’s okay to just do two in the beginning. Same with adding weight: do it gradually and only if it feels like the body weight alone is not adding enough resistance.

The exercises below re-build strength for the muscles supporting the ankle and are recommended by a leading physical therapy team. For some of these exercises, you’ll need a light resistance band, a towel, and potentially a soft foam support for your ankle (but you can replace this with a folded towel).

Calf raises

Goal: 3 sets of 12-15 reps

• This exercise increases calf strength and stabilizes the lower legs and ankles. Standing in front of a wall, support yourself by placing your hands on the wall if needed. Then, slowly rise up on tip toes and return to a flat foot.

• If it gets easy enough, progress to single-leg raises (you can still hold on to the wall for balance).

• The hardest level would be standing on a step, with your heels hovering over the edge. Do single leg raises while holding on to the wall for support.

Ankle eversions with resistance band

Goal: 3 sets of 20-25 reps on each side

• An essential ankle strengthening exercise, targeting the fibularis longus and fibularis brevis muscles to improve lateral stability.

• Start by sitting down on a mat and putting one foot on a slightly elevated surface (a folded towel, or small foam roller).

• Next, loop your resistance band around the ball of your foot, so you can use the foot to pull on the band.

• With your opposite hand (e.g., left hand if you’ve applied the band to your right foot), hold the end of the band tightly. The band should go in front of your left foot and form an L shape.

• Start to pull the band with your right foot, toward the right. Go as far as you can. Don’t pull too hard from the left.

Ankle dorsiflexion with resistance band

Goal: 3 sets of 20-25 reps on each side.

• Tie your resistance band to a solid chair leg or pole, leaving enough length so you can still make the loop you’re going to pass your foot through.

• Sit a little farther away from the pole, so that there is a slight tension in the band when you pull back on it.

• With your foot with the band looped around it, pull the toes toward you. You’ll feel the front of the shin working.

Isometric ankle eversion

Goal: 4 sets of 5 reps on each side.

• This is just like the first eversion exercise, but instead of moving back and forth laterally, you are holding the extended position for a few seconds at a time before releasing.

• Start with 5 seconds, then gradually progress to 15.

Towel scrunches

Goal: 4 sets of 10 reps on each side.

• Sit on a chair with a towel under your legs.

• Scrunch the towel with your toes, then hold for up to seconds.

• This will help increase foot and ankle coordination.

Once you’ve built a decent level of ankle strength and support from the connected muscles, you can improve your balance and proprioception with some more demanding balancing and strength work. The focus here is on retraining proprioception, so don’t rush through the exercises if they feel challenging. Getting the correct form is the most important.

Single leg stance

Goal: 3 sets on each leg.

• This is a simple balance on one leg at a time, to develop overall posture control. Start by balancing on one leg for up to 60 seconds, with your eyes open.

• You can progress to doing this with your eyes closed, and eventually to balancing on a foam pad.

Single-leg Romanian deadlift

Goal: Start these without any weight and do 3 sets of 6-12 reps (increase gradually).

• Check the correct form online as this is a tricky exercise to get right.

• You’re supposed to hinge down from the hip while keeping your back and supporting leg straight.

• Once your form is solid, you can try to use some weights. At home, some food cans are a good place to start, or full water bottles.

• Look here for more information about how to master this exercise.

Star excursions

Goal: 3 sets of 30-60 seconds of continuous movement.

• Reach forward, to the side, and diagonally while balancing on one leg.

• This is a great way to improve single-leg balance.

Finally, once balance and strength have developed, you can progress to more dynamic exercises to improve ankle stability while moving. But approach this phase with caution: only start on these movements if you are no longer feeling pain in your ankle and once you feel that Phase 2 exercises are relatively easy to do. Always be sure to consult a physical therapist if you are uncertain about how to progress.

Single leg forward/backward jumps

Goal: 3 sets of 6 reps on each leg.

• Increase ankle elasticity and coordination with single leg jumps, forward and backward.

• Control each landing for 3 seconds before your next jump (so don’t hop).

Single leg lateral jumps

Goal: 3 sets of 6 reps on each leg.

• While balancing on one leg, try to jump sideways as far as you can without losing balance.

• Control the landing on one leg.

Balance pad perturbation

Goal: Start with 10-15 seconds and gradually increase as you get stronger.

• Starting with a pillow or towel, stand on 1 leg for as long as you can.

• Progress to using a wobble board with 2 legs and then 1 leg as you improve.

• This will be the toughest to do on a wobble board on hard floors, so a natural progression will be a balance pad on soft surface (on a carpet or mat), wobble board on soft surface, then wobble board on hard floors.

• This exercise replicates unstable surfaces with a balance pad or wobble board, where you balance on one leg while the board is moving.

In addition to following an exercise plan to fix ankle instability, you might be able to increase the benefits and see results faster if you also complement your workouts with some helpful additions. These include bracing the ankle if you’re out running or walking (or during any high-risk activity), using compression wear as a daily support layer, and elevating the legs to reduce swelling and relax the ankles and lower leg muscles after exercise.

Please note: These elements should only be used in addition to the ankle strengthening and balance-building exercises, which are the essential components of effective rehabilitation for unstable ankles. As always, consult your care team for professional advice tailored to your situation.

Graduated compression socks apply therapeutic pressure to the lower legs, tighter at the ankle and gradually easing up toward the knee. This pressure supports healthy blood flow through the feet and legs, which helps manage swelling and reduce fatigue. This is what makes compression socks a good addition to any athletic recovery routine.

Wearing compression socks has also been linked with better ankle stability and with improved sensory feedback. A study on individuals with ankle instability using compression socks found that compression socks improved postural stability compared with barefoot testing, particularly during challenging conditions in which visual feedback was removed or the standing surface was unstable. However, the evidence remains limited, and compression should be viewed as a supportive tool, not a treatment for ligament damage or a substitute for strength, balance and neuromuscular training.

Vim & Vigr graduated compression socks provide a comfortable, stylish daily layer that can fit seamlessly alongside exercise, physiotherapy and other recovery measures. For more guidance on choosing and wearing compression socks for ankle recovery, read our complete guide.

Want to know more about wearing compression socks? Check out our guide on ankle vs. knee-high compression socks.

If you dream of going back to running or hiking sooner or if you simply know that you’re likely to be more at risk of rolling an ankle on uneven terrain before you’re fully recovered, you can also help reduce your risk of more ankle instability with a brace or kinesiology tape.

This is not a magic wand, however. Bracing the ankle will support it more, but it doesn’t build any strength or balance. So, treat it like a temporary helping tool, rather than something you rely on for the long term.

Finally, elevating the legs and offering your body plenty of rest to recover and rebuild are welcome additions to a program of ankle strengthening. After working out or at the end of the day, prop your ankles above heart level to encourage fluid to drain away from the lower legs and help reduce swelling. To be gentle on your injured ankle, support it with a few pillows rather than letting it rest on a hard surface. Learn more about positioning and timing in our guide to how to elevate your legs.

Rest should give irritated tissues time to recover between rehabilitation sessions. Make sure you’re not avoiding movement, though. The best approach is to reduce activities that trigger pain and to stay active (with light exercise) to avoid stiffening and further weakening your ligaments.

Follow your physiotherapist’s guidance and gradually return to comfortable movement, strengthening, and weight-bearing exercise as your ankle allows.

There is no special one-size-fits-all answer on how to fix ankle instability, or how long it will take. Most people will notice some improvement in their strength and balance after four to eight weeks of consistent training, but this will depend on how gradually you’re approaching rehabilitation and on your personal circumstances.

In most cases, a case of chronic ankle instability won’t be fully healed until three to six months of careful rehab. Structural cases (where there is ligament damage, for example) will need more medical input and could take longer.

The key for seeing improvement with ankle stability exercises is to go slowly, steadily, and consistently. Splitting the exercises into a few short sessions during the week (for example, 3-4 bursts) will yield better results than trying to cram everything in one go. This approach will also give the muscles and ligaments time to develop and recover adequately.

Progress may not be perfectly linear, but repeated, controlled practice can gradually retrain the muscles and nervous system that protect the joint. The goal is not simply to complete a rehabilitation program, of course, but to build an ankle you can trust again.

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