The old saying goes “always put your best foot forward!”But
what if you can’t? How is your training going to be affected if you don’t have
the mobility to actually put your best foot forward? When it comes to rehab-
things like hips, shoulder joints, and knee joints are talked about quite
frequently. One very important joint that doesn’t get the attention it deserves
is the ankle joint. Lack of mobility in the ankle joint could end up being a
huge problem that could have negative effects on several other major joints in
the body.
Understanding
Ankle Flexion-
The ankle joint is
one of the big hinge joints in the body. When the ankle functions normally, it
has two main types of flexion. The two types are plantarflexion (when the toes
point downward away from the body) and dorsiflexion (when the toes point
towards the body). When you think of plantarflexion think of things like tippy
toeing, jumping off of your toes, or a woman in high heels.
Dorsiflexion is a bit more involved. Dorsiflexion is
involved in walking, lung movements, running and squatting. Proper ankle flexion
is crucial not only to ankle mobility but mobility in general. Generally
plantarflexion mobility is not an issue for individuals. When you have a
lack of dorsiflexion, that is when a whole host of secondary and offshoot problems
can occur.
Good
Dorsi vs. Bad Dorsi-
Since dorsiflexion
generally plays a more prominent role in ankle mobility, it is crucial to know
if you have good dorsiflexion or bad dorsiflexion. Good dorsiflexion allows for
proper movement and range of motion when doing mobile actions. You will not get the same flexibility or
movement with bad dorsiflexion. The major problem with lack of dorsiflexion is
the same major issue with all immobile joints. If that joint needs mobility but
doesn’t have it, the body will make that range of motion thru some other means.
It is the same principle as someone having back
or knee issues because they do not have full mobility in the hips. The back and
or knees start to do extra work to compensate for the lack of hip mobility. Since
we just mentioned the hips, did you know that lack of dorsiflexion does play a role in
hip mobility? One of the best indicators of how much dorsiflexion a person has is
the squatting motion. Have you ever heard someone say” I don’t squat because it
hurts my knees.” Assuming they are not just wimping out of squatting and it
really does hurt their knees, most likely some lack of dorsiflexion is playing
a part in that. When there is a lack of mobility in the ankles, the amount of stress
placed on the knees almost quadruples.
A second scenario would be when some people squat
they place blocks under their feet or rise up on their toes. The push ends up
coming from the toes and not where it should be coming from…the heels. This is
due to a lack of mobility of dorsiflexion. Rising up on their toes or placing
blocks under their feet is a way of making up the dorsiflexion they are not
getting naturally. This shift also removes the stimulus of squatting off of the
hips and glutes (where it should be) and places it on the quads. This not only
has the exercise changed but also applies more pressure to the knee joints because
they travel further forward during the movement. Good dorsiflexion will allow you
to sit further back during squatting and allowing a more upright posture.
Squat Test-
So how can you
tell if you have poor dorsiflexion? A simple squat test can give you an idea of where you stand.
Dorsiflexion
Squat Test
Take a little
bit wider than shoulder width stance with your feet. If you're not barefoot or in socks take your shoes off Squat down as far as you can. The key
is to make sure you keep your heels on the ground the entire time. Good dorsiflexion will allow you to squat to parallel and
below with your heels remaining on the ground the entire time.
If you can squat down past parallel while keeping your heels on the ground the entire time without your knees moving
inwards or outwards you pass. If you can squat to parallel with your heels on the ground the entire time without your knees
moving inwards or outwards, you have decent dorsiflexion but it probably could still use some work. If you cannot squat to
parallel or squat to parallel without staying on your heels you fail. Don’t worry if you do fail there are exercises
that can help improve lack of dorsiflexion.
Getting
Your Flex On-
So let’s say you do have bad dorsiflexion, what can
you do to help improve it? There are a few simple exercises and stretches that
can do wonders for improving dorsiflexion. By performing some of the exercises
listed, a few times a week you may see improvement in your dorsiflexion in a
very short time. Here are a few to try:
<!--·Tennis Ball Foot Rolls-
This is a very
simple exercise that helps improve dorsiflexon a lot. What a lot of people don’t realize is pain in the feet can lead
to a chain of bad events. Bad feet lead to poor ankle mobility, that can lead to stiff calves, or bad knees, that can lead
up to bad hips. To help the problem from the very beginning all you need is a tennis ball. All over the body there is a type
of tight connective tissue. This tissue is called fascia. There is fascia in the feet that directly connect to the ankles
and calves. When fascia is too tight, a lack of mobility ensues. All you have to do is place a tennis ball on the ground,
step on it, and roll your foot back and fourth in a pressing continuous manner.
<!--·Tibia Raises-
Here is another
simple but goodie exercise. Tibia raises mimic the exact movementthat we are trying to work on when aiming to improve dorsiflexion.
As a matter of fact some gyms have machines specifically for doing tibia raises and they are named dorsiflexion machines.
All you have to do is sit in a chair or bench with your feet in front of you. With your fee flat on the ground, lift your
toes off the ground towards your shin. Hold the top position for a second. Return your toes back to the ground. Keep your
heels on the ground the entire time. As you progress with this movement you can use bands or weights. If you are lucky enough
your gym may have an actual dorsiflexion machine to help with these.
<!--·Knee To Wall Bends-
Take one foot
and line the toes up to a wall. Straighten the other leg about a foot or two behind it. On the leg with the
toes on the wall, shift all your weight onto the heel and attempt to push your knee over your toes toward the wall. Repeat
this movement several times then switch legs. Each session try to progressively move your bending leg further and further
back.
<!--·Elevated Toe Mini
Split Squats-
Begin by lining your feet up in a split stance position. Place a ½ inch piece of wood or a 5lb or 10lb
plate under the toes (keeping your heel on the ground) of your front foot. You should then squat down just enough so that
your knee goes over your front foot. What ever range of motion you have go with it and do not try to force a bigger range
of motion out of the exercise. Go back and fourth so it looks like you are doing a quarter of a full split squat.
<!--·Toes Raised Squats-
This one will really work with any balance issues you have. Because the toes are raised the dorsiflexors
are forced to stretch more. It also teaches someone who is squatting to drive from the heels. This is not an exercise to use
a lot of weight if any on. It is about doing a good amount of reps to really stretch the dorsiflexors. Take a normal width
squat stance. Place a couple of 10lb weights or a small piece of wood under your toes with your heels remaining to touch the
ground. Desend into a squat position as deep as you can go and return to standing position.
Ankle Wrap
Ankle
mobility plays a huge role in overall leg mobility. The main mobility type to
focus on with the ankles is dorsiflexion. When the ankles cannot perform proper
dorsiflexion is can negatively affect all sorts of movement from walking,
running , squatting, and even little things like bending over. If you do have a
lack of dorsiflexion a few simple exercise and stretches a few times a week may
be exactly the help you need.
