At On Track Physical Therapy we are constantly looking at ankle range of motion. Ankle range of motion can have a large impact on the body’s ability to move functionally i.e. squat, jump, run, lunge. Here is a quick ankle fix that often works well to improve ankle range of motion.
Repeated plantarflexion ankle mobilizations are a great way to improve a stiff ankle and increase both ankle dorsiflexion and plantarflexion. Often time people will only stretch or mobilize the ankle into dorsiflexion to improve dorsiflexion. It may seem a little counter intuitive, but actually moving the ankle through a full range of motion in the opposite direction will work wonders. This is possibly due to the mechanical stimulus that reaching end range of motion and gaping the ankle mortise can have an effect on global ankle mobility.