6 Best Ankle Strengthening Exercises

Summary

This script delves into the importance of the foot and ankle complex for body stability and movement, emphasizing the need for a holistic approach to ankle strengthening. It introduces exercises like single leg balance, heel raises, and supinated lunges to improve balance, shock absorption, and force generation. The analogy of the ankle as a door hinge and the foot as anchor screws illustrates the interdependence of these structures. The script also highlights the significance of a stable foot arch for overall body alignment and injury prevention.

Takeaways

• 🔒 The ankle joint and foot are part of the 'foot and ankle complex' and should be considered together for a holistic understanding of stability and function.
• 🏠 The feet act as the foundation of the body, influencing the alignment of the entire body from the ankles up to the lower back.
• 🧍‍♂️ Ankle instability can be linked to a general deficit in lower limb balance ability, which is crucial for activities like running.
• 🦶 Strengthening the foot and ankle complex is essential for performing single leg balance, absorbing impact forces, and achieving supination for force generation.
• 🤸‍♂️ Exercises to improve single leg balance include standing on one leg and heel raises, which can be enhanced with balance beam training.
• 👣 The foot arch is vital for shock absorption and maintaining ankle alignment, similar to how a car's suspension system works.
• 📈 Research shows that balance training can significantly improve single leg balance ability and foot alignment in individuals with pronated and flat feet.
• 🚶‍♂️ Heel raise walks are a basic exercise to improve the shock-absorbing quality of the foot and ankle complex by accentuating the arch-stabilizing effect.
• 🔄 Supination is a key position for the foot to achieve stability and force production, and exercises like supinated lunges can help improve this ability.
• 🛠️ DIY balance training devices like balance beams and boards can be created inexpensively and offer various benefits for foot and ankle strengthening.
• 📚 The 'Strong Feet, Strong Foundation' program and the ankle stability course provide in-depth tutorials and exercises for ankle strengthening and injury prevention.

Q & A

What is the foot and ankle complex?

The foot and ankle complex refers to the collective structure of the ankle joint and the foot, which should be considered together due to their interdependent function in movement and stability.

Why is it important to view the ankle and foot together?

It is important to view the ankle and foot together because they influence each other's alignment and function. Dysfunction in one can lead to instability and misalignment in the other, affecting overall movement and potentially leading to injuries.

What is the analogy used in the script to explain the relationship between the ankle and foot?

The analogy compares the ankle to a door hinge and the foot to anchor screws. When the screws (foot) are loose, the hinge (ankle) becomes unstable and misaligned.

What are the three main demands made on the foot and ankle complex?

The three main demands are the ability to perform a single leg balance, effectively absorb impact forces during movement, and stiffen in supination to form a stable platform for force generation.

Why is single leg balance important for the foot and ankle complex?

Single leg balance is important because it is fundamental to many activities, including running, which is essentially a series of single leg supports. A deficit in balance ability can lead to ankle instability.

How can heel raise walks help improve the shock absorbing quality of the foot and ankle complex?

Heel raise walks help by accentuating the arch-stabilizing effect caused by the impact of each step, which enhances the foot's ability to resist compressive loads and maintain proper alignment of the ankle joint.

What is the purpose of supinated lunges in ankle strengthening exercises?

Supinated lunges are designed to improve lower limb supination, which is necessary for locking the bones of the foot arch and creating a rigid structure for maximum stability and force production during dynamic movements.

How can balance beam training enhance ankle stability?

Balance beam training challenges the foot and ankle complex to find stability on a thin and round surface, engaging every muscle and improving the ability to maintain alignment and stability.

What is the significance of the foot arch in maintaining ankle joint alignment?

The foot arch acts as the primary load bearer and shock absorber. Its ability to resist compressive loads determines whether the ankle joint can remain in proper alignment, especially during dynamic activities.

What is the 'Strong Feet, Strong Foundation' program mentioned in the script?

The 'Strong Feet, Strong Foundation' program is a foot strengthening initiative named to reflect the importance of strong feet as the foundation of the body, which can be found on the speaker's website.

How can a simple cardboard model demonstrate the importance of a stable foot arch for ankle stability?

The cardboard model with a weighted cylinder represents the ankle and shin bones. When the foot is flattened, the model falls off, showing instability. Creating an arch shape with paper demonstrates how a stable arch supports the ankle, even with some deformation upon impact.

Outlines

00:00

🦶 Ankle and Foot Complex: The Foundation of Body Movement

This paragraph introduces the concept of the foot and ankle complex, emphasizing their interdependence and the importance of a holistic approach to ankle strengthening exercises. The analogy of a door hinge and anchor screws is used to illustrate the relationship between the foot's arch and the ankle's stability. The paragraph outlines three main demands on the foot and ankle complex: single leg balance, impact force absorption, and the ability to supinate. It highlights the importance of the foot as the body's foundation and introduces the 'Strong Feet, Strong Foundation' program. The focus then shifts to single leg balance ability, discussing the connection between ankle instability and lower limb balance deficits, and presents exercises to improve this ability, such as standing on one leg and heel raises on a balance beam.

05:00

🏃‍♂️ Enhancing Shock Absorption and Supination for Ankle Stability

The second paragraph delves into the importance of the foot arch as a shock absorber and its role in maintaining ankle alignment. It uses a cardboard model to demonstrate how a stable arch supports the ankle joint. The paragraph explains how the stability of the foot arch affects the alignment of the entire body, from the knees to the lower back. It then introduces exercises to improve the shock-absorbing quality of the foot and ankle complex, such as heel raise walks, and discusses the significance of supination in creating a stable base for force generation during movement. The paragraph concludes with an exercise for improving lower limb supination, the supinated lunges, and encourages viewers to take a screenshot for reference and consider the ankle stability course for more in-depth training.

Keywords

💡Ankle Joint

The ankle joint is a hinge-like connection between the foot and the lower leg, crucial for balance and movement. In the video, it is emphasized that the ankle joint should not be considered in isolation but as part of the foot and ankle complex, highlighting the interconnectedness of the foot's health and the ankle's functionality.

💡Foot and Ankle Complex

This term refers to the combined structure of the foot and ankle, which is integral for supporting the body's weight and facilitating movement. The video script discusses the importance of this complex in performing activities like running and jumping, and how its stability is essential for overall body alignment and movement efficiency.

💡Holistic Approach

A holistic approach considers the whole system, rather than just individual parts. The video advocates for this approach when selecting ankle strengthening exercises, emphasizing that the health of the ankle is dependent on the foot's condition and vice versa, thus reinforcing the interconnectedness of these body parts.

💡Single Leg Balance

Single leg balance is the ability to maintain stability on one foot, which is fundamental for activities like running. The script explains that individuals with ankle instability struggle with this, and that specific exercises can improve single leg balance, such as standing on one leg and heel raises on a balance beam.

💡Impact Forces

Impact forces are the forces exerted on the body during activities like running or jumping, which can be multiple times the body weight. The video discusses the foot and ankle complex's role in absorbing these forces to prevent injury, and how exercises can help strengthen the foot's ability to handle such impacts.

💡Supination

Supination is a term used to describe the position of the foot when the arch is raised, creating a rigid structure necessary for stability and force generation. The script explains that the ability to supinate is crucial for dynamic movements and that exercises like supinated lunges can help improve this ability.

💡Foot Arch

The foot arch is the curved structure of the foot that acts as a shock absorber and load bearer during movement. The video uses the analogy of a car's suspension system to illustrate the importance of a stable foot arch in maintaining ankle alignment and overall body stability.

💡Ankle Stability

Ankle stability refers to the ankle joint's ability to maintain its position and alignment, especially under the stress of movement. The script discusses various exercises and the importance of a stable foot arch in achieving ankle stability, which is vital for preventing injuries.

💡Balance Training

Balance training involves exercises that improve one's ability to maintain equilibrium, particularly on one leg. The video script describes specific balance exercises, such as standing on one leg and balance beam training, which are crucial for enhancing ankle and foot stability.

💡Strong Feet Strong Foundation Program

This is a program mentioned in the video that focuses on strengthening the feet as the foundation of the body. The name itself implies the importance of foot strength for overall body support and stability, aligning with the video's theme of the significance of foot and ankle health.

💡Ankle Strengthening Exercises

These are specific physical activities designed to improve the strength and stability of the ankle joint and the foot. The script outlines several exercises, such as single leg balance, heel raise walks, and supinated lunges, which are aimed at enhancing the foot and ankle complex's ability to meet the physical demands of movement.

Highlights

The ankle joint and foot are considered together as the foot and ankle complex in scientific literature.

Ankle stability is interconnected with foot function, and vice versa.

A holistic approach is essential for selecting the best ankle strengthening exercises.

An analogy is used to compare the ankle to a door hinge and the foot to anchor screws for stability.

The foot acts as the foundation of the body, influencing overall alignment and stability.

Three main demands on the foot and ankle complex include single leg balance, impact absorption, and supination.

Running is a series of single leg supports, emphasizing the importance of balance.

Impact forces during running are three to four times body weight, highlighting the need for shock absorption.

Supination is necessary for creating a stable platform for force generation by the upper limbs.

Balance training can significantly improve single leg balance ability and foot alignment.

Standing on one leg for one minute per side is an effective exercise for ankle strengthening.

Heel raise exercises can improve balance and activate the foot arch for better ankle alignment.

Balance beam training challenges the foot and ankle complex for enhanced stability.

Foot arch stability is crucial for shock absorption and maintaining ankle alignment.

Heel raise walks help to accentuate the arch stabilizing effect during dynamic activities.

Supinated lunges improve lower limb supination for better force production and ankle stability.

A DIY balance board and beam tutorial is available for creating your own ankle stability training devices.

Ankle strengthening exercises are essential for building a strong foundation and preventing injuries.

Transcripts

when we talk about the ankle joint we

must include the foot in the

conversation too together they are

referred to as the foot and ankle

complex in the scientific literature now

this does not mean that the ankle joint

is difficult to understand what it does

mean is that the ankle should not be

looked at without reference to the foot

and vice versa so it is this holistic

approach that we took when we selected

the best ankle strengthening exercises

for you to better understand what i'm

talking about here let's use an analogy

compare the ankle to a door hinge and

the anchor screws to the foot when the

screws are loose the hinge is unstable

and is pulled out of proper alignment

similarly if the foot is dysfunctional

and the arch collapses it pulls the

ankle out of alignment however as soon

as the screws are tightened the hinge

stabilizes similarly when the foot arch

is activated and stable it pulls the

ankle joints into proper alignment ready

to handle the demands of movement in

other words the feet are the foundation

of the body that's why we appropriately

named our feet strengthening program on

our website the strong feet strong

foundation program alright with this in

mind there are three main demands we

make on our foot and ankle complex the

first is to be able to perform a single

leg balance if you think about it

running our most primal human motion is

just a series of single leg supports so

if we were not able to balance and

support ourselves on one leg we wouldn't

even be able to run the second quality

we demand on our foot and ankle complex

is to effectively absorb impact forces

did you know that when we run our lower

limbs have to absorb forces of three to

four times our body weight on each step

due to the gravitational pull when we

jump and land these forces are even

higher it's an inability to tolerate

these impact forces that cause so many

injuries finally our foot and ankle

complex needs to be able to stiffen in

what is known as supination this foot

shape forms the stable platform upon

which large amounts of force can be

generated by the big muscles of the

upper limbs to move the body therefore

the best ankle strengthening exercises

must assist in improving our ability to

tolerate these three physical demands

alright let's deal with these issues one

at a time starting with single leg

balance ability a study done on balance

training for persons with functional

ankle instability found that those who

had bad ankles also had a significantly

harder time balancing on one leg with a

27 reduction in balancing ability

compared to those with stable ankles

these findings suggest that the root

cause of ankle instability might be a

general deficit in lower limb balance

ability so then what is the best way to

train the ankles for better single limb

balance well logic tells me that to

become better at balancing on one leg we

must simply practice balancing on one

leg

however as a sports scientist i like to

validate my logic with scientific

research and in this case i was able to

do so for example one study found that

athletes with severely pronated and flat

feet who participated in a six-week

strength in balancing program were able

to significantly improve their single

leg balance ability and foot alignment

using two basic single leg balancing

exercises these will be the first two

exercises in our ankle strengthening

regime today

the first entails just standing on one

leg and balancing in that position for

one minute on each side per set the

second exercise required the

participants to stand on one leg but to

slowly raise the heels of the ground to

a count of six after which they had to

slowly lower the heels back down also to

a count of six this was repeated five

times on each leg per set we can also

take our balance training to a whole

other level by doing balance beam

training the thin and round surface of

the beam really challenges the foot and

ankle complex to find stability using

every single little muscle as can be

seen by the work my toes are doing to

grip the beam in this clip we were able

to create our own balancing beam using

pvc water pipe as well as a

complementary diy balance board which

has a host of other benefits as well the

step-by-step tutorial for creating your

own balanced training devices cheaply

including 30 exercises developed by our

team to specifically target the foots

and ankle complex can be found in our

ankle stability course so the single leg

balance single leg balance with heel

raise and balance beam walks are the

first three ankle strengthening

exercises on our list in this video the

next set of exercises we're going to

look at are to help the foot and ankle

complex to effectively absorb impact

forces during movement much like the

trunk which holds the spine together

with a large array of muscles to enhance

core stability each foot has 26 bones

wrapped in four layers of muscle and

connective tissue to enhance the

stability of the foot arch this arch

acts as the primary load bearer and

shock absorber during dynamic activities

i guess we could think of the foot

arches as being like the suspension or

shocks of a car it is the foot archer's

ability to resist compressive loads that

determines whether the ankle joint can

remain in proper alignment we can

demonstrate this using a simple piece of

cardboard with a weighted cylinder

attached to it meant to represent the

ankle and shin bones if we suspend the

ankle model off the edge while the foot

remains flattened you can see how the

load of the cylinder is too much for the

structure to handle and it just falls

off the side however if i create an arch

shape with a paper foot meant to

represent our actual inbuilt foot arch

then you can see how the ankle is now

steady and supported so even with some

foot arch deformation upon impact which

is normal the ankle can only be held in

place if the arch is stable enough and

again collapsing that structure as in

the case of fallen arches totally

removes the stable base upon which the

ankle joints are supposed to stand in a

similar way the feet are connected to

the knees and to the hips which are

connected to the lower back and so the

interlinked chain continues all the way

up the body so when the foot arch loses

its stability and proper position then

everything on top of it loses its

alignment too again this is why you have

a strong foundation if you have strong

feet anyway i think i've made my point

so without rambling on anymore let's

check out some exercises to help improve

the shock absorbing quality of the foot

and ankle complex the most basic

exercise in this category is heel raise

walks which are initiated by pressing

your toes into the ground really hard so

that your heels lift slightly off the

floor then it's just a matter of simply

walking around while keeping the heels

elevated the basic premise behind this

exercise is to accentuate the arch

stabilizing effect caused by the impact

of each step this exercise can also be

done on the stairs so instead of placing

the whole foot on each stair you place

only the four foot on the step and keep

the heel suspended off the edge we cover

more advanced lower limb shock absorbing

exercises in our ankle stability course

the final ankle strengthening exercise

we will look at is designed to supinate

the feet which is the specific shape

that the foot needs to get into to

stiffen and form an arch which as

explained earlier becomes the solid base

from which force can be generated during

dynamic movements this was explained and

illustrated so well in the paper titled

by mechanics of the foot in walking a

function approach by mcpoyle and net as

shown in the illustration of the left

foot the first example is of a pronated

foot which can be identified by the

planes of axis of these joints being in

parallel alignment with one another this

parallel position results in the

unlocking of the foot arch essentially

changing the foot into a mobile flat

structure with no inherent skeletal

stability however as the foot moves from

a pronated to a neutral position and

finally into a supinated position the

planes of the axis converge this

convergence locks the bones of the arch

creating the rigid foot structure that

is necessary for maximum stability and

force production this was also proven in

a study in which the strength of the

ankle musculature in people with

excessive pronations was tested the

authors found that when the foot could

not properly supinate force production

was severely affected in this area okay

so the exercise to help improve lower

limb supination is supinated lunges

start by creating a slightly slanted

platform to stand on i'm using our diy

exercising health balance board which we

teach you how to make in our balance

board and beam tutorial but any plank

would do for this exercise

then while standing on one leg with the

gradient sloping away from you step

backwards with the opposite leg into a

reverse lunge then press down hard into

the board and stand back up now

obviously we want to be able to do this

on a flat surface without relying on a

slanted board but this is a good way to

start to develop the right sensations of

exerting force with the foot in a good

stable position and there you have it

folks six of the best ankle

strengthening exercises and now is the

time to take a screenshot for future

reference also while you're pressing

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accessible way anyways thanks for

watching i'm your host chris and until

next time cheers

i