maximize joint mobility is critical, especially in our athletes are pushing themselves as far as their bodies will leave. All joints should have some mobility to have good stability, but also to allow the upper and lower joints to work effectively. For any athlete who must run, jump, swing, or to pedal, it all starts with the foot and ankle
Most of you can relate to this athlete :. A 20+ degrees of dorsiflexion in a calf stretch upright position (right knee). The problem is the maximum pronation athlete to get this. When taken to talar neutral, he or she loses 6-8 degrees easier. Now, when asked to bend the knee to 20 degrees, keeping neutral, they can not do it without even back 10 degrees.
Imagine how this athlete lands from a jump or tries to make a cut. They must be maximally pronated for 20-30 degrees of DF needed for business. The result is landing with much force on flexion and internal rotation lower end, it is not surprising that we see so many ACL injuries.
chronically speaking, the low mobility of the ankle can lead to a series of questions with the rest of the lower end and even up into the spine (I'm sure we could draw even higher but that is beyond the scope of this article). You only need to look as far as the NBA. Patellar tendinitis is endemic due to years of taping ankles and remove all hope of normal mechanical legs. Take dorsiflexion at the ankle, but the movement still has to come from somewhere. Last I knew they were all still vertical 30-40 inches. 99.9% of them have a history of multiple ankle sprains that certainly will not help the cause either of mobility.
dynamic ankle mobility exercises are designed to improve the ROM, especially dorsiflexion, working simultaneously on flexibility and / or strength depending on the drill. These exercises are beyond mobilizations and stretching that we all learned in school. These things are still necessary, but dynamic exercises are the logical next step for a full recovery and meet the demands of the sport
Ankle DF with Supination -. An excellent exercise of ankle mobility Gray Cook and Lee Burton. Pressing down the stick engages the core, while maintaining a supine position
Tri-Stretch Mobility - keep the foot pointing forward throughout, many athletes will gradually toe as they go through the stretch. Make sure you do it right knee and bent to focus on gastroc in soleus.
Clock Drill - the athlete reaches 12 'and 6'; 3 'and 9'; and 11 'and 5' (standing on the left leg) and 1 'and 7' (standing on the leg R). The knee is what motivates the ankle so that the athlete has to bend the knee and go as far as possible.
Squat stretch - Start by going down in a hamstring stretch, the athlete can bend your knees enough to get their hands just under the arcades. Stretch briefly to relax the lower back and hamstrings, then fall into the squat bringing the head and chest up. The goal is to break with your feet pointing straight ahead parallel, elbows between the knees to keep the ankle in neutral. Work the squat movement pattern is critical for sports that require jumping and cutting.
The integration of these exercises in the warm-athlete facilitates mechanical improvement and ankle stability while improving mechanics to chain. Make them see and feel their limitations because they will pronation to supination. increased tightness in the calf or the pain of the anterior ankle impingement indicates that they have work to do. I am very clear that they will never be as fast or jump as high they could potentially until the mechanics are improved. It usually takes their attention. Younger athletes rarely give a second thought to the prevention, unless there are performance advantages to win.
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Joe Heiler PT, CSCS
Joe Heiler MSPT is the owner and manager of content SportsRehabExpert.com, a site dedicated to the advancement of education rehabilitation and performance professionals. The site focuses on orthopedic and sports physical therapy subjects through webinars, audio interviews, articles, manual therapy and exercise videos, and more.
Joe is also the owner of Elite Performance Physiotherapy and Sports in Traverse City, MI specializes in orthopedics and sports medicine, as well as training of athletic performance. It is Graston Technique (GT) and a certified instructor GT SFMA FMS and trained, and is passionate about a number of soft tissue and manual techniques, including Trigger Point Dry Needling and manipulation.
Latest posts of Joe Heiler PT, CSCS (view all)
- The Bird Dog - basic Classic stability - April 4, 2016
- Points triggering and pain shoulder - Part 2 - February 29, 2016
- trigger Points and shoulder pain - Part I - January 19, 2016
- basic stability vs core strength - Part II - April 1, 09
- basic stability vs core Force - March 1, 09
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