Ankle Dorsiflexion Explained: How to Improve Ankle Dorsiflexion

Ankle dorsiflexion is the movement of flexing your foot toward your shin. (The opposite of ankle dorsiflexion is ankle plantar flexion, where you point your toes downward and away from your knee.) When you bend the top of the foot towards your shin and flex your foot—focusing on the big toe and forefoot—your tibialis anterior muscles contract.

Ankle dorsiflexion is possible because of the ankle joint or talocrural joint, a hinge joint made up of three bones—the tibia, fibula, and the talus. This joint mobility is essential to walk, run, lunge, squat, and land a jump. Ankle dorsiflexion is also necessary when shifting body weight so that your weight is evenly distributed.

Tension in the soft tissues of the calf muscles—the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles—can impede the range of motion in the ankle joint. Ankle injuries can also affect ankle dorsiflexion range of motion because of ankle pain and scar tissue formation. Injuries limiting ankle dorsiflexion include fractures, Achilles tendon ruptures, ligament tears (such as ACL injuries), arthritis, shin splints, plantar fasciitis, and ankle sprains.

Ankle mobility is essential for executing many foundational movement patterns in the human body, including walking, running, squatting, and landing properly after a jump. Ankle dorsiflexion also allows the shin bone or the tibia to move freely—if the tibia is stuck in an upright position, the entire body will lean forward to make up for that loss of range of motion.

Ankle mobility deficits can place stress on other joints and connective tissue, such as the Achilles tendon and plantar fascia. These compensations can then cause pain in the feet, hip flexors, lower leg, and lower back. Poor dorsiflexion can also place more stress on the knees and cause uncontrolled knee valgus or the knees to cave in. This can be a risk factor for ACL tears.

There are many interventions to improve ankle dorsiflexion range of motion, such as stretching, mobility exercises, and physical therapy:

• Yoga: Static stretching in yoga—with movements such as lunges, the chair pose, and child’s pose—can help stretch out your legs and ankles while exercising them in a low impact way.
• Stretching: Stretching can improve ankle range of motion. Stretching the calf muscles in particular can relieve tightness. Stretching the feet and ankle muscles can also be helpful, such as a wall lean stretch, where you place your foot up against the wall and press your weight against it lightly. You can also perform toe raises while sitting, which will help you exercise dorsiflexion.
• Myofascial release: You can use a foam roller to manually release tense myofascial tissues in your calves and plantar fascia.
• Resistance bands: You can use bands to help provide some weight-bearing tension, which will help exercise the ankle muscles. One exercise includes lunging with your knee on the ground. Wrap a resistance band around the ankle on the front foot, and use your other knee on the ground to hold the ends of the band down. Push your front knee forward.

If you have a previous or pre-existing health condition, consult your physician before beginning an exercise program. Proper exercise technique is essential to ensure the safety and effectiveness of an exercise program, but you may need to modify each exercise to attain optimal results based on your individual needs. Always select a weight that allows you to have full control of your body throughout the movement. When performing any exercise, pay close attention to your body, and stop immediately if you note pain or discomfort.

In order to see continual progress and build body strength, incorporate proper warm-ups, rest, and nutrition into your exercise program. Your results will ultimately be based on your ability to adequately recover from your workouts. Rest for 24 to 48 hours before training the same muscle groups to allow sufficient recovery.

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