Which Ankle Mobility Drill is Best for Me?

Some time back I came out with this video showing an easy assessment for ankle mobility.  Ankle mobility is essential for technique during deep squats, pistols, lunge and step-up variations.  It’s also something that’s implicated in knee pain, potentially causing knee valgus in deep squatting movements.  

One thing I’ll ask my patients and athletes when they do this assessment is, “Where do you feel like you’re being limited here?”  “Do you feel a block or pinch in the front of the ankle or do you feel a pull / stretch in the back of the ankle?”

If the individual feels a strong pull in the achilles and soleus area then we can assume there is a limitation in those tissues.  In this situation stretching, foam rolling and other soft tissue interventions should work really well.

If the individual feels more of a block in the front of the ankle it could be a joint mobility restriction.  In dorsiflexion of the ankle the talus bone should move posteriorly under the tibia and fibula of the lower leg.  If this isn’t occurring it could be causing that “blocked” sensation in the front of the ankle.  In this case, stretching and soft tissue work may not be as effective as in individuals that feel a stretch in the soleus/achilles during this test.  For individuals with a blocked sensation in the front of the ankle I recommend more self joint mobilization.  For these individuals I also highly recommend seeing a good manual therapist to help get things moving a bit better.  Here are some of my favorite ankle mobility exercises I’ll give to my patients as part of their HEP:

As taught in the Selective Functional Movement Assessment (SFMA) we need to learn how to differentiate between tissue extensibility disorders (TEDs) and …read more

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