![]() Many of the muscles that help flex and extend the toes pass the ankle joint to get to the end of the foot. Lastly, work on opening up some of those toes and the plantar fascia. Work each direction 10-20 times.Ĭounterclockwise: 10-20 reps for 1 set. Working in both the clockwise and counterclockwise directions will help ensure you cover enough area. They allow the ankle to get motion in the entire ankle. Ankle CirclesĪnkle circles are an overlooked exercise. You might notice that you are a little more restricted in one corner versus another! Here is a variation of the ankle rockers to make sure you hit all the corners of the joint. Rock back and forth for 10-20 reps for 1 set. Keeping your heel down, rock forward as far as you can on the front foot. To target this joint, place one leg back and one leg forward with your forward leg flexed. The motion that typically becomes most restricted is dorsiflexion. When you flex your foot up or down, you are moving from the talocrural joint. The most common ankle joint to get stiff is the talocrural joint, which is the joint that is right where the ankle meets the foot. Many times, the ankle joints themselves get stiff. Ankle RockersĪs I alluded to earlier, with the amount of high-impact workouts we do in addition to all the sitting, our ankles tend to lock up. To stretch the soleus, bend your knee (back leg) and keep your heel down. Sometimes the gastrocnemius isn’t the muscle that is tight. To target the gastrocnemius, you want to stretch your calf in a straight leg position. Both play vital roles in calf and ankle mobility. The calf muscle consists of two muscles, the gastrocnemius and the soleus. Roll on the plantar fascia for one minute. You may notice one side is more sensitive to the pressure than the other. To release this tissue, take a ball and roll it on the bottom of your foot. Our feet rarely have a chance to move with how often we wear shoes, heels, or sandals. It can also become irritated and painful if it becomes too stiff and overstrains. The plantar fascia is tissue on the bottom of your foot that can affect the mobility of the ankle and foot. Here is a forgotten soft tissue rollout that can affect the foot and ankle. You may find that you have a few spots along the muscle! Make sure you stay on the stiffer spots for one minute. You can turn your foot in and out to find a spot that is stiffer. Place one leg on top of the other to apply pressure into the foam roller or ball. ![]() Try isolating one calf at a time and use a ball or foam roller to release the calves. Soft tissue mobility rollouts can be very beneficial to the dense muscle tissue that can become overactive. If you’ve read my past article then you’ll know that sometimes stretching isn’t the problem. Instead, try this combination of five ankle mobility exercises to take a more comprehensive approach. #Ankle mobility exercises free#Get The FREE Mobility Guide To Fix Your Pain Today! Suffering from a sore neck, back and shoulders? Get our mobility guide to ease pain and soreness. Sometimes just stretching your calves doesn’t do the trick. With the amount of sitting and working out we do, our ankles have a tendency to lock up quickly. In fact, a loss of ankle dorsiflexion can cause anterior knee pain and other injuries. Trace the letters of the alphabet with your foot, and then switch to your other one.Ankle mobility exercises may seem like small tasks, but they are vital to your knee health. While sitting down, cross your left leg over your right as you rest your left calf on your right thigh. The ABC’s : Using your ankle, “write” the letters of the alphabet.This will improve your balance and strengthen your ankles. As you rise, come up on your tippy toes, and continue to do squats while standing on your tiptoes. Squat on your tiptoes : Stand straight with your feet flat on the ground and drop into a normal squat.Believe it or not simply hopping from side to side will slowly start to increase ankle mobility. Then switch and repeat with your left foot. Try it out: Stand on your right leg and hop forwards, sideways and backwards 10-30 times. Hopping : Hopping is very simple and will increase the elasticity in your ankles.This will strengthen the muscles in your lower leg, foot and ankles, therefore increasing mobility. ![]() Try it out: Lift yourself up on your toes 15 times – or until your ankles and calves get tired. Calf Raises : Calf raises are a great exercise that involves movement in your ankles.Here are a few tips to improve ankle mobility and keep your ankles healthy. Building strength and creating an awareness about ankle mobility will help prevent injury and improve your performance. In order for all of this to happen, ankle mobility is essential and is the root for several exercises or workouts. It’s important for a physically active body to achieve a stable balance between each active joint for maximum performance. ![]()
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