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Apr 27, 2017|Exercises, Massage Therapy

Ankle Dorsiflexion Exercises For Strength Building

Enhance Foot Dorsiflexion with Expert Exercises from Pleasantview Physiotherapy

Dorsiflexion is the movement of your foot and ankle up towards your shin. This motion works the most basic human movements like squatting, walking, running, jumping, and more. If you’ve ever had problems or pain associated with sitting and standing from a chair or walking up and downstairs, it’s your dorsiflexion at work.

Poor dorsiflexion has been linked to falls in the elderly and ACL injuries in athletes, so it’s vitally important to strengthen it with physiotherapy exercises.

Here’s one you can do at home with an exercise band.

1. First, you need a heavy, sturdy object to place one end of the exercise band around.

2. Place the other end around your ankle right at where the wrinkle is between your foot and shin.

Edmonton Physiotherapist explains how to to improve the Dorsiflexion of the foot

3. Bring the leg you’re working on slightly forward from the other leg, positioning your foot facing forward.

4. Move your knee forward to place tension while keeping your arch from flattening and your foot from coming up off the floor.

How to improve the Dorsiflexion of the foot Exercises -Presented by Pleasantview Physio

5. Be careful that you don’t let your knee fall to the inside and collapse your arch. This encourages a bad movement pattern.

Physiotherapist explains how to to improve the Dorsiflexion of the foot

6. Relax into the stretch and bounce a little. Most times, you don’t want to bounce in stretches, but the dorsiflexion is a good one to do it.

7. Move your knee towards the outside a little to get at muscles there. If you have problems getting deep in a squat, this will help.

Physiotherapist explains how to to improve movements like squatting, walking, running, jumping

8. Repeat this stretch on the other leg.

9. Perform the dorsiflexion exercise 2 minutes a day every other day.

Everyone, not just athletes, can benefit from this dorsiflexion exercise. And if you want perfect squat form and to be able to hold it with ease, this is the exercise for you.

Physical therapy like the dorsiflexion exercise lets you naturally strengthen your muscles and reduce the risk of injury. Whether you’re physically active or not, physical therapy can help you enjoy your life to the fullest in the safest, most comfortable way.

Contact us today to schedule a session with a licensed physical therapist to get strong and healthy.

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