Today, I wanted to go through an Excellent Filler Exercise for the Ankle.
Filler Exercises are quick exercises that you can do between sets or your other major exercises to help overcome and prevent injury, improve your mobility, and improve the movement of your body.
Your ankles may be stiff for many reasons. Ankle stiffness can be debilitating as it negatively affects your mobility. Depending on your ankle stiffness, you may have trouble staying active or even getting out of bed in the morning.
One common reason is simply aging. With age, the collagen in your body stiffens, which makes tissues such as ligaments and tendons stiffer. This means your joints do not move as easily and are more susceptible to injury.
Other reasons for tight ankles include osteoarthritis, a bone spur or bone fragment, impingement in the joint, previous injuries, and inflammatory diseases, such as gout or rheumatoid arthritis, tendinitis, congenital disabilities, and other foot problems such as flat feet.
If you have a more serious condition affecting your ankles, you have probably been given a treatment plan. If you want something to help your tight ankles, try this filler exercise and see how you feel.
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Filler Exercise for the Ankle
Using a resistive band, I will go through this excellent exercise for the Ankle. Sit on the floor with one leg straightened out in front of you and the other bent. Grab the resistive band tubing and loop it around just above the arch of your foot. Pull the tubing back, try to bend that Ankle and toes back toward your skin, and then relax.
Filler Exercise for the Ankle
You might get a light stretch in the calf area, but we are really trying to get that Ankle moving. Normally, we are not moving the Ankle in that four ranges of motion. Often, the Ankle becomes stiff and tight based on how we sleep and the shoes we wear.
Do 5 to 10 repetitions. You are not looking for that stretch in the calf. Rather, look to loosen up that Ankle and increase the range of motion in the Ankle as you are pulling it back and relaxing.
There you go. Give that filler exercise a go. It is something that you can fit in quickly between your sets. Instead of sitting and waiting for your next set or walking to the drinking fountain, you can sit down and do this filler exercise. Improving your ankle mobility will help you improve your movement, improve your squats, and overcome and prevent injuries.
Final Word
Make sure to swing by ExercisesForInjuries.com. There is a good chance I have a video, an interview, or a blog post on your injury or pain. Enter your injury or pain into the search bar on the top right of the screen. There is a good chance I have something for you that will help you.
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Take care!
Rick Kaselj, MS
If you are looking for a great resource for Filler Exercises, click here to check out the 50 Filler Exercises program.
