Dynamic Stretches for the Ankles

Flexibility is a key component of ankle health. If you're a serious hiker, dancer or ball player, or you just enjoy an evening walk, you'll need ankle mobility to keep you moving and performing at your best. Dynamic ankle stretches target the muscles that act on the ankle joint, keeping them long and supple. When performed regularly, dynamic stretches offer a tempting set of benefits.

  1. Anatomy

    • An impressive collection of muscles work together to flex, extend, invert and evert the foot at the ankle joint. The muscles in back of your lower leg -- including the gastrocnemius, soleus and tibialis posterior muscles -- are responsible for plantar flexion, or movement of the foot and toes forward and away from the shin. Muscles in front of your lower leg -- most notably the tibialis anterior muscle -- control dorsiflexion, or movement of the foot and toes back toward the shin. Tightness in any of these muscles can limit ankle range of motion, which affects the way you move. It can also increase your susceptibility to a host of painful and debilitating conditions, including plantar fasciitis, shin splints and inflammation of the Achilles tendon.

    Static Vs. Dynamic

    • Static stretching involves holding a position for an extended period of time and generally targets one muscle group at a time. In contrast, dynamic stretches often target multiple muscles and involve continuous, repetitive and flowing movement. As part of a general warm-up routine, dynamic ankle stretches increase blood and oxygen flow to the lower leg and ankle area and increase joint range of motion in preparation for sports, cardio workouts and strength-training sessions. Evidence presented in the April, 2013 edition of "Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research" suggests that dynamic stretching before exercise is less likely to impair explosive ability than static stretching. Coaches and trainers therefore tend to recommend dynamic stretches over static stretches before sports and other activities that require explosive movement.

    Examples

    • Dynamic ankle stretches can generally be performed from a seated or standing position with your working foot raised slightly off the floor. Ankle pumps involve slowly extending the foot and toes away from the shin and then flexing the foot and toes back toward the shin. Complete one to three sets of 10 to 20 pumps with each foot. Ankle circles involve slowly rotating the foot at the ankle, drawing large clockwise circles in the air. Complete one to three sets of eight to 12 circles with each foot and repeat the exercise in a counterclockwise direction. Writing the alphabet -- a great way to target all areas of the ankle -- involves tracing the letters of the alphabet in the air with your big toe.

    Reminders and Concerns

    • Precede ankle stretches with a brief cardio warm-up to increase circulation and raise muscle tissue temperature. Five to 10 minutes of light jogging or jumping jacks should suffice. With all exercises, move the foot through its full range of motion and avoid jerky or sudden movements. Keep the rest of your body relatively still and focus on moving the foot smoothly and with total control. If you've injured your ankle in the past, speak to your health-care professional about the advisability of specific exercises.