Have you ever thought about your ankle? No? Then it's time! Here's how you can mobilize your ankle joints.
Our feet have a lot to do. Every day they have to carry our entire body weight. But they are rarely rewarded for it. They are somehow the stepchildren of the body.
In doing so, our ankle joints must allow a certain degree of mobility. Unfortunately, however, our feet are often fixed in certain positions.
Mobility decreases and deep knee flexion is almost impossible. Knee problems or foot malpositions develop.
To prevent this, you should mobilize your ankles.
Table of contents
How the ankle joint is built
Before you start mobilizing your ankles, you should first know a few things about ankle anatomy.
It consists of two main joints. The upper and the lower ankle joint. The upper one works like a hinge and lets you move the foot up and down.
It connects the tibia, fibula and talus.
The lower ankle joint allows the foot to tilt inward and outward. It is divided into the anterior lower ankle joint and the posterior lower ankle joint. It consists of the talus, calcaneus, navicular bone and a cartilaginous ligament that forms the socket.
The upper and lower ankle joints play together with every step.
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Why you should improve the mobility of your ankles
The ankle joints are enormously important. You need them when walking, jumping, running or sprinting. But they are also enormously important for squats or lunges.
You demand a lot from your foot during the movements. Often more than your mobility allows. This increases the stress on the ligaments and the capsule. The foot collapses.
In most cases, small scarring of the capsule or ligaments is the cause of restricted movement.
In order to Improve mobilityyou should mobilize your ankles.
Rarely but nevertheless, shortened calf muscles can also restrict movement. In this case you should stretch your calf muscles.
You can tell if your foot is collapsing or not when your heels lift off the ground or your foot turns way out or rolls in during a squat.
This makes the mechanics worse, there is a higher load in the joint and you become unstable in movement. This can eventually lead to ankle injuries early.
Movement restrictions in the ankle joint can also cause knee and hip pain. This is because the lower leg bones pull from the ankle to the knee.
If you can't move the ankle properly, it causes reduced rotation and stability in the leg. The result is pain.
Special exercises can help you mobilize your ankles and prevent injuries.
The 13 best exercises to mobilize ankle joints
To prevent pain and injury, we have put together exercises that mobilize the ankle joints.
It is important that you do them regularly. This is the only way to keep your ankles flexible. Plan at least minutes per side for mobility training. It takes at least that long for the ligament systems to start changing due to the mobilization.
1. foot circles for more mobility
- The starting position is an upright, hip-width stance.
- Lift the foot slightly.
- Now circle clockwise 10 times from the ankle.
- After that, you change direction.
- Now it's the turn of the other leg.
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2. toe pull to mobilize the ankle joints
- Stand up straight.
- Place one foot behind you with the instep of the foot.
- Bend and straighten your standing leg.
- You should feel a slight tug.
- Repeat the exercise 15 times and then switch sides.
3. train ankle joints with Toe Taps
- Stand with your back against the wall.
- The feet are about 20 cm from the wall.
- Lean your upper body against the wall.
- Stay in a straight line from your heels to your upper back.
- Now tap your toes quickly on the floor and then pull them towards your forehead.
- Do 30 repetitions of this.
4. calf raises in standing position to mobilize ankle joints.
- Stand on one leg.
- Push yourself up with the tips of your toes.
- Return to the starting position.
- Repeat the exercise 15 times and switch sides.
Tip: To keep your balance better, you can also hold on to the wall.
5. mobilize the ankle joints: Lateral Ankle Tilt
- Stand up straight.
- You place one foot a little further forward.
- Now deliberately place the foot on the outer edge of the foot.
- Hold the stretch briefly and return to the starting position.
- Repeat the exercise 15 times and then change the foot.
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6. one-leg stand on balance cushion
- Stand on the balance cushion or an uneven surface.
- Lift one leg and try to keep the position as stable and steady as possible.
- Perform movements with the lifted leg.
- Write your name, draw a figure 8, and swing your leg back and forth.
- Repeat the series 3 times per leg.
7. single leg jumps for strong ankles
- Mark a square or a star on the ground.
- Stand on one leg in the middle and jump alternately to the front, back, right and left.
- Jump 3 times per leg in each direction.
- Change the leg.
8. squat with heel lift
- Starting position: wide squat.
- The tips of the toes point slightly outward.
- You will keep this position during the execution.
- Now lift your heels and slowly lower them again.
- The upper body remains straight.
- Do 15 repetitions.
9. standing leg lift with mini band
- Wrap the mini band around your thighs.
- Position yourself hip-width apart.
- Now lift one stretched leg off the floor and push it to the side.
- Hold the position briefly and come back to the starting position.
- The tape always remains under tension.
- Repeat the exercise 15 times and then switch legs.
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10. mobilize ankle joints with squat jumps
- Stand shoulder width apart.
- Go into the squat position.
- Explosively jump upwards.
- Press the tips of your toes all the way through.
- Make sure you land softly and then jump right back up.
- The torso and leg axis remain as stable as possible.
- Do 15 repetitions.
11. strengthening tibialis anterior
- Sit on the floor with your legs stretched out.
- Wrap a theraband around the top of your foot.
- Clamp the end in the door or attach it to a piece of furniture.
- Bring the band to tension and slowly pull the toes towards you.
- Keep the position short.
- 15 repetitions and then change sides.
12. strengthening pronators
- Sit on the floor in a straddle seat.
- Wrap the theraband around the top of your foot.
- Attach the other end to a piece of furniture or wrap it around your other leg.
- Bring the band to tension and pull the foot up sideways.
- Hold the position.
- Perform 15 repetitions per leg.
13. mobilize ankle joints with theraband
- Sit on the floor in a long seat.
- The theraband is wrapped around the top of your foot again.
- Attach the other end.
- Now pull the foot down to the inside.
- Hold the position.
- Repeat the exercise 15 times per leg.
How to incorporate the exercises into your workouts
Now you know which exercises you can use to mobilize your ankles. But how do you best incorporate these exercises into your training?
If you're going to run, long jump or include squats in your workout, you should work on the mobility of your ankles beforehand.
The exercises for this can be ideally incorporated into your warm up. Choose 3-4 exercises.
In general, you should never do without a warm-up. The warm up prepares your body for the load and you can avoid injuries.
Our conclusion
Ankle injuries happen faster than you think. To strengthen your ankle, you should regularly perform ankle mobilization exercises.
Deeper squats, more efficient running, better balance - when you mobilize your ankles, you benefit in every way.
Have fun with the training!
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