How To Use Your Foot.

In the previous weeks we have talked about external rotation, internal rotation, and other qualities of movement for sport and exercise. This week we are going to focus on the foot and ankle and the motions that occur here and the importance of getting adequate motion in this crucial area.

First, pronation. I have mentioned this extensively in the past few articles. Pronation is vital for producing force through the ground in sport and exercise. We train this first through accessing the movement in the foot with body weight and then challenge it with more intensive exercise that mimics sport and intense exercise more closely.

Then, supination. Supination is related to heel strike and late push off phases of gate. Therefore, we must train this aspect of foot and ankle motion with body weight that mimics the toe off and heel strike phases of gait where supination and its associated movements are required. Click the link below to see a video of pronation and supination of the foot…

Supination and Pronation Video

Last, dorsiflexion. Dorsiflexion is an essential motion for the ankle to achieve knee and hip bend positions. It is common that wee compensations like back flexion and rounding or knee cave due to a lack of dorsiflexion in the ankle. These compensation help cheat us into a squat or cutting position but at the expense of the integrity around these structures, often times leading to chronic or acute injuries.

Whether we want longevity or performance (hopefully both) in the gym or on the field, the foot and ankle is a great place to start. First, we need to make sure we have access to these ranges of motion in terms of mobility, then, address our motor control and integration of these motions into force absorption and force generation exercise and drills. Follow along the Instagram this week to get more video and details on progressing these movements!

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Focus 1: All things pronation (Monday Post)

For pronation, we want to first work on gathering the proper foot and ankle mobility to achieve these motions. Sometimes, seeing a sports medicine professional is necessary to help assess and address the sticking points in foot and ankle mobility. Chiropractic adjustments in the lower extremity and soft tissue therapy can be great at opening up the joint spaces and freeing up the tissue to allow for pronation. Then, attacking the motor control and integration will help lock in these mobility changes in the foot and improve performance attributes that come with properly understanding and using pronation. Here is one example exercise from this week’s post that will help teach you what it feels like to use pronation. Click the link below for an example of one of the exercises from this post.

Focus 2: All things supination (Wednesday Post)

Supination is vital to force absorption and efficient gait. Just like in pronation, chiropractic extremity adjustments and soft tissue therapy can be great for helping with any identified mobility issues with supination. Further, we need to integrate the motion into higher intensity activity to make sure it transfers to the gym and sport. Here is an example exercise from this week’s post working on integrating pronation. Click the link below for an example exercise from the this post.

Focus 3: All things dorsiflexion (Friday Post)

Friday’s post will showcase dorsiflexion and how we can work on mobility and integration in the gym. Chiropractic adjustments and soft tissue therapy again work great for improving dorsiflexion. That being said, we need to make sure we use any new range of motion gained and have exercises and drills perfect for you to help maintain these changes. It is essential to stay committed to working and improving these drills to make sure we are making effective changes in this motion and integrating it into our bigger patterns. Click the link below for an example frill from this post.

Closing

Addressing the foot and ankle complex is an essential step to maximizing performance and limiting our risk to injury! It is often problems at the foot and ankle that create the compensations up the chain that lead to catastrophic or chronic injury. Begin looking at your ability to complete these motions and work on some of the drills shown to start the process of improving.

Reach out to me via call, txt, or email if you want to learn more!

Phone: (585)478-4379

Website: www.integratedrpc.com