![]() With the ‘Joint-By-Joint Concept’ we can learn to assess the body in a different fashion than we have in the past. In addition, we can talk about a few ways to improve ankle mobility. This restriction could be either a soft tissue restriction or a joint mobility problem, or both! We will discuss in our next lecture how to decipher between a soft tissue issue or a joint mobility issue. However if you had any checks in the ‘fail’ column for this screen, you have a dorsiflexion mobility restriction. Knees collapsed inwards (Valgus collapse) in order to touch wallĭid you have checkmarks in the ‘pass’ column? If you could touch your knee to the wall at a distance of 5 inches while keeping your knee in line with your foot, you show adequate mobility in the ankle (1). Knee Unable to touch wall at 5 inch distance Knee can touch the wall at 5 or more inch distance Your heel must stay in contact with the ground. From this position, push your knee forward attempting to touch the wall with your knee. Use a tape measure and place your big toe 5 inches from the wall. Mike Reinold recommended this screen for its ability to provide reliable results without the need for a trained specialist (2).įind a wall and kneel close to it with your shoes off. This specific test has been used numerous times in research to assess ankle mobility (1). This test is called the half-kneeling dorsiflexion test. This screen will tell us if we have full mobility or if our movement problems are a result of a problem somewhere else in the body. Today I want to introduce a simple way to assess our ankles. Do your feet point outwards when you squat even when you try your hardest to keep the toes forward? Can you remain upright in the bottom of your snatch or clean? Do your knees constantly fall inward when you perform a pistol squat? All of these movement problems can be related to poor ankle mobility. Stiff ankles are often a culprit behind our squat problems. A restriction in this motion is where most athletes run into trouble. The smaller or more closed the angle is, the more ankle dorsiflexion the athlete has. You can measure dorsiflexion by drawing a line with the shin and another line with the outside of the foot. This forward knee movement comes from the ankle and is called dorsiflexion. Unless you are performing a low-bar back squat, the knee must be able to move forward over our toes. In order to perform a full depth squat, our bodies require a certain amount of ankle mobility. Entire movement patterns can be thrown out of whack due to stiff ankles. Eventually, a stiff ankle could negatively impact the rest of the body. These are only the immediate affects of an immobile ankle. When we squat, an unstable knee will often wobble and fall inwards. The foot below becomes unstable and therefore the natural arch of the foot collapses. When our ankle loses its ability to move, it affects the rest of the body. For this reason, the role of the ankle is movement or mobility. It is prone to become stiff and immobile. This is our topic of discussion for today.ĭespite the occasional ankle sprain, our ankle is naturally a fairly stable joint. If you recall the ‘Joint-By-Joint Concept’ lecture, the stable foot sets the foundation for our mobile ankle. We discussed how creating a “tripod” foot ensures proper stability for our squat from the bottom up.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |