A heel raise with eversion is a calf raise done with the front of each foot turned out a little. You stand tall, rise onto the balls of your feet, then lower your heels back down under control. The calves do most of the lifting. The muscles along the outer side of the lower leg (peroneals), which turn the foot outward (eversion), help hold the ankle steady as you rise, as they do in any heel raise. Physios give it as a change from the plain calf raise in ankle and lower leg programs.

How to do the heel raise with eversion

Stand tall with your feet a little apart, next to a kitchen counter or the back of a sturdy chair. The woman in the video stands without support, but resting your fingertips on something steady is fine.
Turn the front of both feet out a little, so your toes point slightly away from each other. Let your knees turn out with your feet, so they face the same way as your toes.
Push down through the balls of your feet and lift both heels as high as is comfortable, with your knees straight but not locked.
Pause at the top with your weight spread across the front of both feet, keeping some pressure under the big toes.
Lower your heels slowly back to the floor, taking at least as long as you took to rise.

What you should feel

Work in both calves, and sometimes along the outer side of the lower leg. By the end of a set the calves should feel warm and tired. Pain in the ankle, heel or knee means stop.

Common mistakes

Turning the feet out so far that the knees twist inward. A small turn is plenty.
Letting the ankles roll out onto the little toes as you rise.
Dropping the heels quickly instead of lowering them.
Bouncing up and down with no pause at the top.

How often

Many programs start with 2 to 3 sets of 10 to 15 raises, once a day or on most days of the week. Your physio will adjust this.

Stop and check with your physio if

Sharp pain in the ankle, heel, Achilles tendon or knee.
Your ankle gives way, or it wobbles so much that you need the support to stay upright.
Your calf or thigh becomes swollen, warm, tender, red or darker than usual, or has a throbbing or cramping pain that feels different from normal muscle ache. Stop and get medical advice the same day, as this can be a blood clot. If you are also short of breath or have chest pain, call emergency services.
A sudden pop or snap at the back of your ankle or heel, a feeling that someone kicked you there, or sudden pain there after which you cannot push off or rise onto your toes on that leg. Stop, take the weight off that leg carefully and go to an urgent care center or emergency department the same day, even if you can still walk, as this can be a torn Achilles tendon.

From the clinic

The voice guide asks you to turn your feet out before you rise, then come back down steadily, and the video shows a simple double heel raise on a flat floor. Plain calf raises, with the feet facing straight ahead, usually come first. The calf raise with toes turned in is the mirror version. To work the turning-out muscles on their own while you sit, see ankle eversion with a band.

Keep a counter, wall or sturdy chair close enough to grab the moment you feel unsteady. If you have had a fall in the past year or your balance is poor, hold on for every repetition and ask your physio whether a standing version suits you yet.

After a recent ankle sprain, keep the rise small and pain free until your physio moves you on. After an ankle fracture or ankle surgery, follow your surgeon's or physio's weight-bearing plan, and start this exercise only when they have cleared you. If you have had surgery on your Achilles tendon, check with your surgeon or physio before you start.

Written and checked by the PocketPhysio editorial team. Last updated 2026-09-28.

This page is general education, not a diagnosis or a personal treatment plan. If you have pain, an injury or a health condition, see a physiotherapist or doctor before starting new exercises.

Heel raise with eversion