You bend your ankles by using the muscles in your lower leg to move your foot up and down, and side to side. This involves a complex interplay of muscles, tendons, and bones.
Understanding Ankle Movement
Ankle movement is primarily achieved through two types of motion:
- Dorsiflexion: This is the movement that brings the top of your foot closer to your shin, like when you point your toes upward.
- Plantarflexion: This is the movement that points your toes downward, away from your shin, like when you stand on your tip-toes.
Beyond these primary movements, you can also perform:
- Inversion: Tilting the sole of your foot inward, towards the midline of your body.
- Eversion: Tilting the sole of your foot outward, away from the midline of your body.
These movements are all controlled by muscles located in your lower leg, such as the gastrocnemius, soleus, tibialis anterior, and peroneals.
Improving Ankle Mobility: A Practical Example
The provided reference describes a specific exercise to improve ankle mobility:
Sitting on a chair, bend the leg of your injured foot up onto the thigh of your other leg. Gently pull your foot inwards and upwards towards you. This exercise will help improve mobility to the ankle. Do this 10 times to mobilise a stiff ankle.
This exercise focuses on improving dorsiflexion and inversion, which can be helpful in addressing ankle stiffness. The action of gently pulling your foot inwards and upwards uses the muscles responsible for these movements, helping to increase their range and flexibility. Remember to perform this exercise gently to avoid pain or injury.
Important Considerations
While bending your ankles is a simple action for most, issues like stiffness, injury, or limited range of motion can make it more challenging. Always consult a healthcare professional if you experience ankle pain or limitations in movement.
