![ankle mobility ankle mobility](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/u55slYc-Hmo/maxresdefault.jpg)
If this sounds like you, loosen up those stiff toes with some rolling before your next workout! Surprised? People with stiff MTP joints (especially the great toe) have all sorts of problems from osteoarthritis, groin pain, hip impingements, low back pain, knee pain, and plantar fasciitis. Relax the muscles on the bottom of your foot and push your big toe back towards your shin while keeping your ankle stable.Ĭheck how far it goes. If you want to check your mobility, grab your foot and slightly point your toes. Individuals who are unable to extend or push off their big toe tend to have tight ankles, calves, overdeveloped quadriceps, and underactive gluteals. Mobilization of the toes is very effective in increasing range of motion through a workout, and allows your calves to stretch and preload properly. This helps activate your glute and extend your hip for a more efficient and powerful stride. Mobility in your toe joints, primarily the ones at the bases of your toes (known as the MTP joints), will let you roll smoothly from the outside of your foot to push off with your big toe as you run or walk. A lacrosse ball or something acutely round is ideal for the bottom of the foot. The immediate effects of foam rolling are still being investigated, but a roller that is denser and firmer appears to facilitate greater joint range of motion and localized blood flow. My rule of thumb is that if you find yourself holding or altering your breath because you can’t relax, you need to back off the pressure. It should not be painful, but it also doesn’t need to be extremely comfortable. Since calf muscle contraction facilitates blood flow back to the heart, a little calf and foot rolling can be a good thing not just for your legs, but for your whole body (especially after a long trip/flight where blood tends to pool in the lower leg).Īs a clinician specializing in post-rehab/prehab work, I encourage individuals to roll out the feet and calves prior to beginning a warm-up for any given workout (sort of like a warm-up for your warm-up).
#Ankle mobility professional#
Please keep in mind that these are generalized recommendations and in no way should take the place of a qualified medical professional (usually a PT) performing a proper movement screen and diagnosis. Below you’ll find five general exercise protocols that may help individuals with tight calves, stiff ankles, and plantar fasciitis symptoms. Hyper-localized exercises or even surgery for a problem area (the plantar surface of the foot and stiff ankle complex in this case), could be missing the “driver” (or true cause) of the problem.
#Ankle mobility full#
She canceled the surgery and eventually made a full recovery.
![ankle mobility ankle mobility](https://i.pinimg.com/736x/66/54/fa/6654fab4ab9e1e13084ba445b8a472dc--ankle-stretches-ankle-exercises.jpg)
![ankle mobility ankle mobility](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/oMAfY0aQaoo/maxresdefault.jpg)
She was prescribed three simple strength exercises to help establish better patterns.Īfter doing the exercises twice daily for two weeks, Suzie’s foot felt well enough that she was able to start running again - for the first time in 20 years. She learned that the problems she was experiencing were not a result of “bad feet,” but rather how she was putting pressure on her feet. She wanted to know if there was anything she could do to avoid “going under the knife,” and I told her to try a movement screen with a physiologist. I once met a runner (we will call her Suzie) who was slated to have plantar fasciitis surgery.