Have you ever rolled your ankle, waited for the pain and swelling to settle, and thought everything was fine—only to twist it again a few weeks or months later?
You’re not alone.
A recurring ankle injury is often more than just bad luck. When an ankle keeps giving way, swelling after activity, or becoming painful during running and walking, it can be a sign that the original injury never fully recovered.
Ankle sprains are among the most common musculoskeletal injuries, and once you have injured an ankle, your risk of injuring it again increases. Health New Zealand recommends rebuilding strength and balance after an ankle sprain because these are important parts of reducing the chance of another injury.
The good news? Recurring ankle problems can often be addressed with the right rehabilitation approach.
If you’re looking for Ankle and Knee injuries treatment in Auckland, understanding why your ankle keeps getting injured is an important first step.
Why Do Ankle Injuries Keep Coming Back?
An ankle sprain can stretch or tear the ligaments that help keep the joint stable. Depending on the injury, the ligament may be stretched, partially torn or completely ruptured.
But recovering from an ankle injury isn’t simply about waiting until you can walk without pain.
Your ankle also needs to regain:
- Strength
- Mobility
- Balance
- Coordination
- Stability
- Confidence during movement
If one or more of these areas remains compromised, your ankle may struggle when you suddenly change direction, land from a jump, walk on uneven ground or return to sport.
That is why some people experience the frustrating cycle of injury → rest → feeling better → returning to activity → injury again.
6 Causes of Recurring Ankle Injuries
1. You Returned to Activity Too Soon
Feeling better doesn’t necessarily mean your ankle is fully recovered.
Pain and swelling may disappear before your strength, balance and coordination return to normal. If you immediately go back to running, jumping, football, basketball, hiking or gym training, the ankle may not be ready for those demands.
A gradual return to activity gives your body time to rebuild its capacity.
The aim isn’t simply to make the ankle pain-free. It is to prepare the ankle for the movements and loads you actually perform in everyday life or sport.
2. Your Ankle Strength Hasn’t Fully Returned
Weak muscles around the ankle and lower leg can make it harder to control the foot during movement.
After an injury, people often reduce activity because movement hurts. While modifying activity can be appropriate initially, prolonged inactivity can leave the muscles weaker than before.
Rehabilitation commonly focuses on progressively rebuilding strength around the ankle and lower limb.
This can include exercises targeting the calf, ankle stabilisers and the wider leg muscles.
For recurring ankle problems, strength training is not just about getting stronger—it is about giving your ankle better support when you need it.
3. Your Balance and Proprioception Need Work
This is one of the most overlooked reasons an ankle can keep rolling.
Proprioception is your body’s ability to sense where a joint is positioned and respond to movement.
After an ankle sprain, this system can be affected. You may feel perfectly comfortable walking on a flat surface but struggle when stepping onto uneven ground or changing direction quickly.
Research-based clinical guidance supports exercise therapy after ankle sprains, particularly balance and coordination work for people experiencing recurrent sprains.
Simple balance exercises can become more challenging over time by changing the surface, movement, speed or task.
4. Your Ankle Mobility Is Still Limited
Another common problem is reduced ankle movement after an injury.
For example, if your ankle doesn’t move comfortably when your knee travels forward over your foot, your body may find another way to complete the movement.
That compensation can affect your walking, squatting, running and landing mechanics.
A physiotherapist can assess whether mobility restrictions are contributing to the problem and determine which movements or exercises are appropriate for your situation.
The goal is not to force the ankle into movement. It is to restore useful movement while gradually increasing the demands placed on the joint.
5. You’re Treating the Ankle, But Not the Whole Leg
Your ankle doesn’t work independently.
Your foot, ankle, knee, hip and pelvis all work together when you walk, run, jump and land.
If the muscles higher up the leg aren’t doing their job effectively, your ankle may be exposed to additional stress during certain movements.
This is particularly important for active people who repeatedly experience lower-limb injuries.
A good rehabilitation program therefore shouldn’t always stop at the ankle. Depending on your assessment, strengthening the calf, quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes and other supporting muscles may be part of the bigger picture.
This whole-body approach is also relevant when dealing with Ankle and Knee injuries.
6. You Never Completed Your Rehabilitation
Perhaps the biggest reason recurring injuries happen is simple: rehabilitation stopped when the pain stopped.
It’s understandable. Once you’re walking normally and feeling better, attending appointments and completing exercises can become less of a priority.
But pain relief is only one stage of recovery.
The final stage should prepare you for the activities you want to return to.
For an athlete, that might mean running, cutting and jumping. For someone else, it could mean climbing stairs, walking long distances, working on their feet or simply feeling confident on uneven ground.
Evidence-based guidelines recommend exercise therapy following ankle sprains to improve joint function and help prevent recurrent injuries.
When Should You See a Physiotherapist?
You don’t necessarily need to wait until your ankle becomes severely painful.
Consider getting assessed if:
- Your ankle repeatedly gives way.
- You’ve sprained the same ankle several times.
- Pain continues after the initial injury.
- Swelling keeps returning after activity.
- You feel unstable when walking or running.
- You have difficulty returning to sport.
- Your ankle feels stiff or weak.
- You’re changing the way you walk because of discomfort.
If you’re struggling to put weight on the ankle or it appears deformed, medical assessment may be necessary, and imaging can sometimes be required depending on the injury.
How Physiotherapy Can Help Prevent Another Ankle Injury
Physiotherapy isn’t simply about treating pain.
A physiotherapist can assess how your ankle moves, how strong it is, how you balance and how your lower limb performs during functional movements.
Your rehabilitation plan may include:
Mobility exercises:
To help restore appropriate ankle movement.
Strength exercises:
To rebuild the capacity of the ankle and surrounding muscles.
Balance and coordination training:
To improve control and proprioception.
Functional exercises:
To prepare your body for movements you perform at work, home or during sport.
Return-to-sport rehabilitation:
To progressively introduce running, jumping, landing and changes of direction when appropriate.
Taping or bracing:
In certain situations, external support may be recommended, particularly during a return to sport. Health New Zealand notes that physiotherapists may use taping or recommend a brace to help stabilise the ankle.
The exact treatment should depend on your injury, symptoms, goals and assessment rather than following a generic exercise routine.
Can Ankle Problems Affect Your Knee?
They can.
Because the lower limb works as a connected chain, changes in ankle movement or stability can influence how the rest of the leg moves.
For example, if you’re avoiding putting weight through an injured ankle, you may unconsciously change your walking or running pattern.
Over time, altered movement can place different demands on other areas of the leg.
This doesn’t mean every ankle injury will cause knee pain. However, if you have recurring ankle and knee injuries, it is worth having the entire lower limb assessed rather than treating each painful area separately.
This is where an individualised physiotherapy assessment can be useful.
How to Reduce Your Risk of Future Ankle Injuries
Once you’ve had an ankle injury, prevention should become part of your recovery strategy.
A few practical habits can help:
- Don’t rush your return to sport. Increase activity gradually.
- Keep strengthening after pain disappears. Your ankle needs capacity, not just comfort.
- Train balance and coordination. Especially if you’ve had repeated sprains.
- Warm up before demanding activity. Prepare your muscles and joints before running or sport.
- Pay attention to recurring symptoms. Repeated swelling, pain or instability shouldn’t simply be ignored.
- Build sport-specific capacity. Your rehab should eventually reflect the demands of your activity.
- Get assessed if the problem keeps returning. Repeated injuries may indicate an underlying weakness, mobility restriction or stability problem.
Frequently Asked Questions
1 Why does my ankle keep spraining in the same place?
A previous ankle sprain can leave behind weakness, reduced balance, restricted movement or instability. If these issues aren’t fully addressed, the same ankle may be more vulnerable to another injury.
2 How long does an ankle injury take to recover?
Recovery time varies significantly depending on the severity of the injury, the structures involved and your activity level. Some minor sprains recover relatively quickly, while more significant or recurring injuries can require a longer rehabilitation program.
3 Can physiotherapy prevent ankle sprains from happening again?
Physiotherapy-based rehabilitation can help address strength, balance, coordination and movement deficits. Evidence supports exercise therapy after ankle sprains, particularly for reducing recurrence in people with repeated sprains.
4 Should I exercise with an ankle injury?
That depends on the injury and your symptoms. Gentle movement may be appropriate during recovery, while high-impact activities may need to be temporarily modified. A physiotherapist can help determine what level of exercise is suitable for you.
5 Can a weak ankle cause knee problems?
A weak or poorly controlled ankle can influence lower-limb movement, but it doesn’t automatically mean it will cause knee pain. If you experience both ankle and knee symptoms, an assessment of the entire lower limb can help identify contributing factors.
Final Thoughts
If your ankle keeps getting injured, don’t simply accept it as something you have to live with.
Repeated sprains can be a sign that something underneath the surface still needs attention—whether that’s strength, balance, mobility, coordination, stability or the way your whole lower limb handles movement.
The right rehabilitation approach focuses on more than getting you out of pain. It aims to help you move confidently, rebuild strength and return to the activities that matter to you.
If you’re looking for Ankle and Knee injuries treatment in Auckland, Growth Physio can help you understand what’s contributing to your symptoms and develop a rehabilitation approach based on your individual needs.
Don’t wait for the next ankle injury to happen. If the same problem keeps coming back, it may be time to find out why.
