Ankle Flexibility & Stability

Heels Down!! Who hasn't heard this during our lessons?? We spend hours with our feet in stirrups focused on lengthening our calf muscles in order to create stability in the saddle. What most people don't realize is how ankle mobility and flexibility affects their entire body. Improving your ankle strength and mobility will positively impact how you ride. 

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Ankle pain and dysfunction can cause issues all along the kinetic chain. Our ankles connect the foot to the lower leg bones (tibia & fibula) and they form the lower portion of the knee joint. So any ankle injuries or issues affect the knee joint. Where the tibia and fibula meet in the knee joint also connects to the femur, which affects the upper leg and pelvis. Movement of the pelvis affects the sacroiliac joint, which connects to the spine. This connection affects the movement and position of the spine as well as the shoulder girdle, head and neck. 

In order to address any issues, start by foam rolling (see below for defintions of words in bold) the surrounding areas of your ankles, which should include the soles of your feet and calves. Tight calves, hamstrings and feet can really restrict the fascia of the ankle joint. You can promote circulation and elongate the the muscle fibers in these areas by rolling the soles of your feet and the muscles of your calves (gastrocnemius and soleus). This allows myofascial release, which addresses:

• Tightness of the tissues that restricts motion or pulls the body out of alignment, causing individuals to favor and overuse one hip or shoulder, for example
• A sense of excessive pressure on muscles or joints that produces pain
• Pain in any part or parts of the body, including headache or back pain

Myofascial pain can have two sources. Pain can be generated from the skeletal muscle or connective tissues that are 'bound down' by tight fascia. In addition, pain can also be generated from damaged myofascial tissue itself, sometimes at a 'trigger point' where a contraction of muscle fibers has occurred. In either case, the restriction or contraction inhibits blood flow to the affected structures, thus accentuating the contraction process further unless the area is treated. While foam rolling, be sure to allow time to focus on trigger points which exhibit more pain by resting the foam roller on them and taking deep breaths for at least 30 seconds.

You want to have direct pressure on these areas so the best mobility tools are going to be a lacrosse ball or a hand-held roller. Sit on the ground, cross one leg over the other and start by placing your calf on a lacrosse ball. Apply pressure to the ball as you roll it up, down, forward and back over the muscles of your calves. After spending about 2 minutes on this area, switch legs and do the same to your other leg. Be sure to focus on any tender areas by keeping pressure on them for at least 30 seconds and taking deep breaths. 

If you do not feel any relief, I suggest focusing on rolling the bottom of your feet. You can either purchase a nubby ball (Amazon has a good selection for a great price) the size of a golf ball, or use an actual golf ball if handy. The fascia encapsulating your feet can become very tight over time, so rolling a ball on the soles of your feet while sitting can be very beneficial. If you feel pain in your heels or cramping, this may indicate lower back issues, which I will address soon. Please feel free to ask me any questions you may have about this in the comment section below.

After you finish rolling, move on to stretching and dynamic movements (I'll address dynamic stretching soon). I'm a big fan of ankle windshield wipers: sit on the ground with legs straight and move your ankles left to right, like wipers on a car windshield. Then move them forward and back (point then pull toes towards shins), and finally, invert/evert, pull inside of feet towards inner calf, then outside of foot towards outer calf. 

Another highly effective exercise is heel lifts on a set of steps. Be sure to keep the same rate of speed as you raise and lower your heels. Start working both legs together and once you feel it's easy to do 3 sets of 20 reps, progress to one leg for 3 sets 15-20 reps. 

More Ankle Strengthening Exercises:

1. Walk forward and backwards for 20-30 steps

2. Walk forward and backwards with toes turned out for 20-30 steps

3. Walk forward and backwards with toes turned in for 20-30 steps

4. Walk sideways for 20-30 steps

5. Stand with toes pointed inwards (pigeon toed) while swinging arms and rotating torso 20-30 times

6. Stand with toes pointing outwards while swinging arms and rotating torso 20-30 times

Most importantly, I want you to feel good about all this extra work you're doing outside of the barn because it WILL make a difference in your performance!

*Fascia is the soft tissue component of the connective tissue system that permeates the human body and that is part of a body wide tensional force transmission system.

Foam rolling is the most popular form of self-myofascial release, which is the type of myofascial release that is performed by the individual on themselves rather than by a practitioner.

To foam roll properly, apply moderate pressure to a specific muscle or muscle group using the roller and your bodyweight. You should roll slowly, no more than one inch per second. When you find areas that are tight or painful, pause for several seconds and relax as much as possible.You should slowly start to feel the muscle releasing, and after 5-30 seconds the discomfort or pain should lessen.

*Self-myofascial release is a fancy term for self-massage to release muscle tightness or trigger points. This method can be performed with a foam roller, lacrosse ball, Theracane, or your own hands. By applying pressure to specific points on your body you are able to aid in the recovery of muscles and assist in returning them to normal function. Normal function means your muscles are elastic, healthy, and ready to perform at a moment’s notice.

Trigger points are specific “knots” that form in muscles. They are unique and can be identified because they will refer pain. Pain referral, for our purposes, can most easily be described as the pain felt when pressure is applied to one area of the body, but the pain is felt or radiated in another area.

A common example of a trigger point is felt while foam rolling your iliotibial (IT) band as it causes pain to radiate up to the hip or all the way down the leg to the ankle. When rolling or working on tight/sore muscles you will experience discomfort or pain. Think of it like the pain you get while stretching. It should be uncomfortable, but not unbearable, and when you are done it should feel better.

What Causes Trigger Points and Tight Muscles?

Both have the same contributing factors including training, flexibility, movement patterns, posture, nutrition, hydration, rest, stress, and other lifestyle factors. Our bodies learn to compensate for what we throw at them every day, but we can exceed our ability to recover via too many intense workouts, poor posture, and other lifestyle factors.

How Does Self-Myofascial Release Work?

Deep compression helps to break up or relax tight muscles and adhesions formed between muscle layers and their surroundings. Imagine you are tenderizing your own muscles. They should be soft and supple like a baby’s muscles. However, if our muscles are not taken care of properly we can experience loss of flexibility, adhesions, and painful movement.

The deep compression of self-myofascial release allows normal blood flow to return and the restoration of healthy tissue. The body naturally wants to be healthy and strong, but sometimes an extra boost is needed to achieve optimal muscle and tissue health.

Giddyup and become a better rider for your horse!!