How to Increase Ankle Mobility in 3 Steps
Summary
TLDRThe video script discusses the three main reasons for tight ankles: habitual use of high-heeled shoes, weak feet, and lack of movement diversity. It suggests solutions such as zero-drop shoes, strengthening foot muscles with minimalist footwear, and various mobility drills to enhance ankle function. The script emphasizes the importance of foot and ankle mobility for overall body stability and function, providing practical advice and exercises to improve ankle flexibility and strength.
Takeaways
- 𼿠Ankle tightness often results from habitual use of shoes with raised heels, leading to shortened calf muscles.
- đ Solution to tight ankles is wearing zero-drop shoes that don't elevate the heel, allowing for natural foot positioning.
- đââď¸ Weak feet contribute to ankle tightness by overburdening the larger muscles, such as the calf, which can lead to chronic tightness and restricted motion.
- đŁ Adopting minimalist, barefoot-style shoes like Origo can help strengthen foot muscles and improve ankle function over time.
- 𦶠A study showed that wearing minimalist footwear for six months can increase foot muscle strength by nearly 60%.
- đ¤¸ââď¸ Mobility drills that challenge the ankle's range of motion are crucial for maintaining joint functionality and overcoming stiffness.
- đ§ââď¸ The assisted deep squat is a fundamental pose that can help improve ankle mobility and restore the ability to perform a deep squat.
- đ Using heel wedges or similar supports can aid in ankle mobilization exercises, especially for those with tight ankles.
- đ¤¸ââď¸ Mobilizing the ankle joint in both flexed and extended knee positions covers its diverse movement capacity and aids in overall joint health.
- đď¸ââď¸ The contract-relax technique can be applied during ankle mobility exercises to gain additional range of motion and address specific areas of tightness.
Q & A
What are the three primary reasons why ankles become tight?
-The three primary reasons for tight ankles are habitual use of shoes with raised heels, which shorten the calf muscles; weak feet that fail to stabilize the foot and ankle complex properly, leading to overburdening of the calf muscles; and a lack of movement diversity and variability, which is crucial for maintaining joint functionality.
How do shoes with raised heels contribute to ankle tightness?
-Shoes with raised heels cause the ankles to plantar flex, leading to a shortening of the calf muscles. Prolonged use of these shoes makes the calf muscles adapt to this shortened state, which becomes their default resting length and results in chronic ankle tightness.
What is the solution to ankle tightness caused by habitual use of high-heeled shoes?
-The solution is to opt for shoes that have no elevation in the heel, known as zero-drop shoes. High-heeled shoes can be worn occasionally for special occasions without causing issues, but they should not be the everyday choice.
How do weak feet contribute to chronic ankle tightness?
-Weak feet cannot properly stabilize the foot and ankle complex, which places a greater burden on the larger muscles, particularly the calf muscles, for stability. Overworking these muscles leads to chronic tightness and restricted motion through the ankles.
What is the significance of the foot and ankle arches in terms of body stability?
-The feet and their arches form the primary line of stability and are the foundation of the entire body. If this foundation is not solid, it affects the proper functioning of everything above it.
How can minimalist, barefoot-style shoes help with ankle tightness?
-Minimalist, barefoot-style shoes with flexible, zero-drop soles encourage full movement across the 33 joints in each foot, stimulating the intrinsic foot muscles and progressively strengthening them over time. They also feature an anatomical toe box design that allows toes to activate the attached muscles more effectively, enhancing their strength.
What does the University of Calgary's spring model of the foot and ankle represent?
-In the University of Calgary's spring model, smaller springs symbolize the minor foot and ankle stabilizing muscles, while larger springs represent the more prominent muscles surrounding the ankle joints, such as the calf muscles. This model helps to understand the impact of weak feet on the overall stability and function of the ankle joint.
Why is it important to explore various mobility drills for the ankles?
-Exploring various mobility drills is important because it prompts the ankles to utilize their full range of motion, which is crucial for maintaining joint functionality. This helps to overcome the limitations of modern, flat, and uniform terrain that does not challenge the ankle's movement capabilities.
What is the assisted deep squat drill and how does it help with ankle mobility?
-The assisted deep squat is a drill that helps to force the ankle joints into full-range dorsiflexion with the help of an upright support. This support serves as a leverage point to temporarily overcome the limitation tight ankles place on the body's capacity to achieve a deep squat, thus improving ankle mobility.
How can heel wedges be used to further assist in ankle mobility exercises?
-Heel wedges can be used to provide additional assistance in ankle mobility exercises, especially if the feet tend to spin out or the heels lift from the ground during the assisted deep squat. They can be adjusted to different heights and are made from a non-slip material to ensure safety and effectiveness during the exercises.
What is the dynamic version of the ankle mobility drill that involves a raised platform?
-The dynamic version of the ankle mobility drill involves stepping up onto and down from a raised platform, such as a heel wedge or a book, repeatedly. This exercise helps to gain additional range of motion in the ankle while ensuring that the toes of the targeted foot remain rooted to the ground at all times.
Outlines
𼿠Reasons for Tight Ankles and Solutions
This paragraph discusses the three primary reasons for tight ankles, emphasizing the habitual use of shoes with raised heels as the first cause, which leads to shortened calf muscles. The solution is suggested to be zero-drop shoes that do not elevate the heel. The second cause is weak feet, which overburden the calf muscles and lead to chronic tightness. The importance of the feet and arches as the body's foundation is highlighted, and minimalist, barefoot-style shoes from Origo are recommended for their zero-drop soles and anatomical toe box that enhance foot and ankle function.
đ Enhancing Foot and Ankle Function with Origo Shoes
The paragraph focuses on the benefits of Origo shoes for foot and ankle function. It explains how the unrestrictive toe-box of Origo shoes allows for more effective muscle activation and strength enhancement. The video's partnership with Origo is mentioned, and a discount code is provided for viewers interested in purchasing these shoes. The paragraph also addresses the third cause of ankle stiffness, which is a lack of movement diversity and variability. It contrasts diverse terrains with the uniform surfaces commonly encountered, leading to a loss of joint functionality due to underutilization of the ankle's range of motion.
đ¤¸ââď¸ Mobility Drills for Ankle Joints
This paragraph outlines mobility techniques for the ankle joints in both flexed and extended knee positions. It begins with the assisted deep squat drill, which aims to improve the ability to perform a deep squat by addressing tight ankles. The use of heel wedges for additional support is suggested. The paragraph then moves on to a drill for mobilizing the ankle in an extended knee position, involving the use of a raised platform and a box or chair for creating rotational torque. The contract-relax technique is introduced to gain more range of motion in the ankle, and a dynamic version of the drill is suggested for further intensity.
đââď¸ Regaining Child-like Mobility
The final paragraph summarizes the benefits of the previously discussed mobility drills, emphasizing their role in regaining a child-like range of motion in the ankles. It encourages viewers to explore the provided links for more content on the topic and concludes the video with an invitation to engage with other content from the channel.
Mindmap
Keywords
đĄAnkle Tightness
đĄZero-Drop Shoes
đĄCalf Muscles
đĄFoot Arches
đĄMinimalist Footwear
đĄMobility Drills
đĄAnatomical Toe Box
đĄDeep Squat
đĄHeel Wedges
đĄContract-Relax Technique
đĄMovement Diversity
Highlights
Ankles become tight due to habitual use of shoes with raised heels, leading to shortened calf muscles.
Zero-drop shoes can help alleviate ankle tightness by not elevating the heel.
Chronic ankle tightness can also result from weak feet, overburdening larger muscles like the calf muscles.
Feet and arches are crucial for stability, and weak feet can compromise the entire body's functionality.
Minimalist, barefoot-style shoes like Origo encourage full movement across the foot's 33 joints, strengthening intrinsic foot muscles.
Wearing minimalist footwear for six months can increase foot muscle strength by nearly 60%.
An anatomical toe box design in shoes allows toes to activate muscles more effectively, enhancing strength.
Lack of movement diversity and variability contributes to ankle stiffness.
Exploring various mobility drills can prompt ankles to utilize their full range of motion.
The deep squat is a fundamental pose that has become redundant due to the widespread use of chairs.
Many people lose the ability to smoothly transition into a deep squat by their teens due to tight ankles.
An assisted deep squat drill can help achieve a perfect deep squat by forcing full-range dorsiflexion.
Heel wedges can provide additional assistance for the assisted squat drill, especially for those with tight ankles.
The single-leg variant of the squat drill helps locate and promote change in tight areas of the ankle joint.
Contract-relax technique can be used to gain additional range of motion in the ankle by tensing and relaxing muscles.
Mobilizing the ankle joint in an extended knee position can be achieved through specific drills using a raised platform and body rotation.
Pressing toes down and moving body weight forward can intensify the stretch and gain more range of motion in the ankle.
Stepping up and down from a platform can provide a dynamic version of the ankle mobility drill.
Transcripts
There are three primary reasons why ankles become tight. The first is due to the habitual Â
use of shoes with raised heels. These types of shoes cause the ankles to plantar flex, Â
which leads to a shortening of the calf muscles at the back of your legs. Because Â
we spend countless hours each day in these shoes, the calf muscles gradually adapt to Â
this shortened state until it becomes their default resting length ref. The solution? Opt Â
for shoes that have no elevation in the heel - these are known as zero-drop shoes. Remember, Â
poison is a question of dose! High-heeled shoes can be worn on special occasions Â
without causing issues, but they certainly shouldn't be your everyday choice ref.
The second cause of chronic ankle tightness lies in weak feet. Let's understand this Â
concept through a spring model of the foot and ankle developed by the University of Calgary. Â
In this model, the smaller springs symbolize the minor foot and ankle stabilizing muscles, Â
while the larger springs represent the more prominent muscles surrounding the ankle joints, Â
such as the calf muscles. Now, if the feet are weak, those smaller muscles can't properly Â
stabilize the foot and ankle complex. This leaves a greater burden on the bigger muscles, especially Â
the calf muscles, for stability. Overworking these muscles leads to chronic tightness, Â
in turn, restricting motion through the ankles ref. It's vital to remember that our feet and Â
their arches form our primary line of stabilityâ they're the foundation of our entire body. So, Â
if we can't establish a solid foundation, how can we expect anything above it to function properly?
The primary solution to this problem is through the adoption of minimalist, Â
barefoot-style shoes, like the ones we have here from Origo. The flexible, Â
zero-drop soles in these shoes encourage full movement across the 33 joints in each foot, Â
which stimulates the intrinsic foot muscles and progressively strengthens them over time. In fact, Â
a recent study found that simply wearing minimalist footwear for six months increased the Â
strength of the foot muscles by nearly 60%. Shoes like these also feature an anatomical toe box Â
design that keeps all your toes in their proper alignment, as you can see in this side-by-side Â
comparison of my toes in the Origo's versus a regular pair of shoes. This unrestrictive toe-box Â
allows your toes to activate the attached muscles more effectively, which further enhances their Â
strength. These features make Origo shoes an ideal choice for enhancing our foot and ankle function.
That's why we've partnered with Origo for this video. If you want to grab a pair of these highly Â
functional shoes, hit the link in the description where we've included a discount code just for you, Â
contributing to ankle stiffness - a simple lack of movement diversity and variability. Â
Let me explain: If I were to move along a diverse landscape with varying terrain, my ankles would Â
encounter numerous scenarios that challenge their range of motion. This kind of diverse movement is Â
crucial to maintaining joint functionality. This variation is in contrast with the flat and uniform Â
terrain we often encounter in our developed environments. In these modern landscapes, Â
our ankles never have to push past a certain degree of movement. And without this regular Â
challenge, one eventually loses the capability. It's the simple principle of 'use it or lose it'.
So, to overcome this challenge, we need to explore various mobility drills that prompt Â
the ankles to utilize their full range of motion. We'll provide mobility techniques Â
for the ankle joints in a flexed knee position, which aligns well with squatting-type movements, Â
and in an extended knee position, which correlates with more upright movements, Â
such as walking and running. This way we'll cover the ankle's diverse movement capacity.
Let's start with the assisted deep squat. The deep squat is a fundamental pose used Â
by children to rest and to pick items up from the floor. However, with the widespread use of chairs, Â
the squat has become redundant. The consequence is that by the time we reach our teens, Â
many of us have lost our ability to smoothly transition into a deep squat Â
without resorting to poor compensations like spinning the feet outwards, dropping the chest, Â
rounding the spine, or rising onto the toes. Most of these compensations stem from tight Â
ankles. Restricted hips can also contribute, but that's a discussion for another video. Â
Be sure to let us know in the comments if you're interested in a video on hip mobility.
So, the squat drill I'm about to demonstrate aims to help you reclaim your squat by forcing Â
your ankle joints into full-range dorsiflexion, with the help of an upright support. The upright Â
support serves as a leverage point to help you temporarily overcome the limitation tight Â
ankles place on your body's capacity to get your butt close to your feet. In many cases, Â
this bit of help is all someone needs to achieve a perfect deep squat. However, Â
if your feet still tend to spin out, or your heels lift from the ground, Â
you may require additional assistance with heel wedges.
I found these basic ones on Amazon that are adjustable to three different heights Â
and made from a non-slip material. I'll drop links to them in the description.
Once you've managed to perform this drill properly, the next progression would be to try Â
the single-leg variant. Start from the assisted squat position, shift your weight onto one leg, Â
and wrap the non-supportive leg around the supporting foot. With most of your bodyweight Â
now balanced on one foot, begin exploring the various 'corners' of the joint to locate any Â
areas of tightness. Once you discover a tight spot, focus there for a while to help promote Â
change in that specific area.You can also use the contract-relax technique, which involves Â
tensing all the muscles in your supporting foot for three seconds, and then relaxing them while Â
simultaneously drawing your body deeper into the restricted region of the joint, Â
aided by the upright support. The main mistakes to avoid are losing ground contact with your toes Â
or allowing your knee to deviate inside your foot.
Now that we've mobilized the ankle joint in a flexed knee position, Â
it's time to shift our attention to mobilizing the joints in an extended knee position. An ideal Â
mobility drill for this purpose starts with placing the forefoot of the ankle you want Â
to mobilize on a raised platform, like the heel wedges we used for the assisted squat Â
mobilization. If you don't have heel wedges, a book will serve the purpose.
The next step is to position a box, chair, or ladder directly in front of and to the Â
outside of the targeted leg. This setup facilitates body rotation when you step Â
onto the platform with the opposite leg, thereby creating a rotational Â
torque through the targeted ankle and foot. This action supinates the supporting foot, Â
which aids in lifting the arch to ensure that the ankle joint is properly aligned during the Â
mobilization. With the heel of your back foot firmly planted on the floor, shift your body Â
weight forward through your hips by squeezing your glute muscles until you feel a stretch in the back Â
of the heel and calf. If you also feel a stretch in the front of your hip and quad, then you have Â
potentially identified a hip restriction, which you may need to address in the future.
To intensify the stretch, apply the contract-relax technique. Press your toes down as hard as you Â
can, then relax and simultaneously move your body weight further forward through Â
the ankle joint. Repeating this contract-relax technique will help gain additional range of Â
motion in the ankle. For the dynamic version of this mobility drill, you will need to step up Â
onto and down from the platform, repeatedly. But, be sure to keep your toes of your targeted foot Â
rooted into the ground at all times. Increasing the slope under the targeted leg can further Â
intensify this mobilization. However, ensure you keep that supporting knee extended. Bending Â
the knee will introduce slack into the system and reduce the effectiveness of the exercise.
With these new tools in hand, you are on the path to regaining the child-like Â
mobility you once had. If you enjoyed this video, Â
you'll definitely love our other content. You can check it out here and here. See you there!
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