5 Ankle Mobility Exercises You Need To Start Doing Today

Dorsiflexion is one of the two main movements at your ankle joint. It occurs when the top of your foot moves closer to your shin bone (tibia). Think of flexing or contracting your toes toward your nose.

Dorsiflexion is key for doing many movements safely. It’s important when your heel strikes the ground during the initial contact phase of walking and running. Dorsiflexion is also important for squatting, walking down stairs, and balance.

Limited ankle dorsiflexion can make it more difficult to move through your ankle’s normal range of motion and may increase injury risk. When one part of your body is limited in movement, other parts try to help out by moving differently. This can lead to a new limitation, pain, or injury elsewhere in the body, such as your knees, hips, or back.

The normal range of motion for ankle dorsiflexion is around 20 degrees. You can reliably assess your range of motion at home using the weight-bearing lunge test.

This method involves measuring how far you can lunge forward toward a wall while keeping your heel on the ground and reaching your knee as close to the wall as possible.

To perform this test, follow these steps:

1. Begin by facing a wall with the ankle you are testing in front, your big toe touching the wall. Position your other foot comfortably behind.
2. Attempt to bend your front knee forward to touch the wall without lifting your heel off the ground.
3. If you can touch your knee to the wall without lifting your heel, move your front foot back slightly, then repeat the lunge. Repeat until you reach the furthest point where you can perform the lunge with your front knee touching the wall and heel flat. 
4. Use a tape measure to measure the distance from the tip of your big toe to the wall. Record the distance in centimeters. 
5. To convert the distance in centimeters to degrees of ankle dorsiflexion, use the guideline that 1 centimeter equals about 2 degrees of ankle dorsiflexion. For example, if you measure 9 centimeters from your big toe to the wall, that’s about 18 degrees of ankle dorsiflexion.

These exercises may help improve your ankle dorsiflexion by increasing your mobility and strength. 

Standing Calf Stretch

Your gastrocnemius and soleus are the two main muscles that make up your calf muscle. If your calf muscle is too tight, it can pull too hard on your heel, making it difficult to bend your foot upward. Stretching your calf can release tension and improve limitations in your ankle dorsiflexion.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Stand facing a wall with your hands on the wall for support.
2. Place the leg you want to stretch behind you. Slightly bend your front knee.
3. To stretch your gastrocnemius muscle, keep your back leg straight. To stretch your soleus muscle, bend your back knee. 
4. Lean forward into the wall until you feel a stretch in the back of your lower leg. 
5. Hold the stretch for 30-60 seconds. Repeat two to three times. 

Ankle CARs

Controlled articular rotations, or CARs, are an exercise to help move your joint through its full range of motion in a slow and controlled way to improve stiffness and mobility.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Sit on a chair or couch with your foot hanging off. 
2. Imagine drawing a circle in the air with your toes. Slowly move your foot in a circle, allowing only your ankle to move and not your entire leg.
3. Perform 10 circles in one direction (clockwise) and 10 in the other direction (counter-clockwise). 
4. Switch feet and repeat.

Split Squats

Split squats can help reduce ankle stiffness and improve range of motion by stretching the front thigh muscles (the quadriceps) and putting controlled weight through your ankle.

Here’s how to do it: 

1. Start with two feet together. Take a step back with one foot. 
2. Lower your back knee down to the ground, keeping your front knee over your front ankle. Put a pillow or cushion under your back knee for extra support.
3. Push through your front foot to stand up.
4. If you’d like to increase the intensity of the exercise, put your back foot on a bench behind you and repeat the exercise.
5. Perform three sets of 10 repetitions on each side.

Heel Raises 

Heel raises are an excellent exercise for working your calf muscles. Strengthening your calf muscles can help improve your ankle’s strength and ability to move.

Here’s how to do them:

1. Stand facing a wall, with your feet about shoulder width apart and your hands on the wall for support.
2. Slowly raise both of your heels, so you’re standing on your toes. 
3. Slowly lower down with control.
4. Perform three sets of 10 repetitions. 

Self-Release of Your Calf Muscle with a Foam Roller

Foam rolling your calves can help loosen up tight muscles and release tension in your calves. By breaking up the tight spots, you can help your ankle move more freely.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Sit on the floor with your legs straight out in front of you, resting one leg on the foam roller.
2. Using your hands for support behind your body, push up with your arms so your hips are off the ground.
3. Slowly rock your body so the foam roller stays in the area from the back of your knee to the back of your ankle. 
4. Roll the muscle like this for 30-60 seconds. Repeat two to three times on each side. 

Adding these ankle dorsiflexion stretches and strengthening exercises into your exercise routine can help improve mobility, decrease discomfort or pain, and prevent injury. When working through these stretches and strengthening exercises, follow these approaches:

• Stretch first: If your muscles feel tight, start with the standing calf stretch and foam rolling. Aim to hold the stretches for 30-60 seconds each, repeating each stretch two to three times. 
• Avoid pain: Stretching should create a gentle pulling sensation. If it hurts, back off until it feels more comfortable. 
• Strengthen: After a few days, when your muscles feel looser, move on to the strengthening exercises: Ankle CARs, split squats, and heel raises. Aim for two to three sets of 10 repetitions of each. 
• Use support: For any standing exercise, make sure to have something sturdy nearby (a wall, countertop, or chair) to use if you feel unstable. 
• Drink water: Remember to stay hydrated when you exercise.

Limited dorsiflexion can make it hard to walk, run, and perform a variety of other movements properly. Incorporating ankle dorsiflexion exercises into your workout routine can help improve your ankle strength and mobility and prevent future ankle stiffness or injury.