Anatomy of the Ankle

The ankle joint is where the 2 bones of the lower leg (tibia and fibula) and the second largest bone of the foot (talus) meet.  The ligaments attach to the bones and support the ankle on the inner and outer sides, as well as in the front and back.  The muscles also help support the joint and move it in many directions.  

The ankle joint is a hinge joint, so you may probably think of the actions primarily being flexing (dorsiflexion) and pointing (plantar flexion) the foot.  But the ankle also has the ability to roll the foot to the inside seam (evert) and roll the foot to the outside seam (invert).  In addition, the ankle can move the foot away from the center line of the body (abduction) or toward the center of the body (adduction).

You probably do not even think about your ankles, but they help you every day.  They help you you walk and navigate terrain that is often uneven.  In addition, they help stabilize your body weight.  Just like all the other joints we have discussed so far, maintaining muscle strength helps to stabilize the joint and prevent injury.  

Some of the common ankle injuries are:

1. Strain or sprain (often occur during youth) - injury to the ligaments.  This can potentially lead to long-term mobility and stability issues
    
2. Hyperlaxity - loss of ligament integrity, typically due to a previous injury.  This results in instability of the joint.
    
3. Stiffness - caused by lack of movement.  
    

There are so many ways to warm up the ankles and feet. I love incorporating these into my classes, because I just think they feel good.  You can do any of the following at home or before class to warm up your ankles and feet:

1. Start on your back.  Take your right foot into a strap and place the strap right at the base of your toes (between the toes and the ball of the foot).  The strap may feel like it is going to slip, so just move slowly.  Keep your leg vertical and press your right heel towards the ceiling as you draw your toes back towards your right shin.  As you do that, notice how that angle at the front of your ankle starts to get smaller. 
    
2. Sit on your heels.  Reach your hands behind you, lean back on finger tips and walk your hands back any amount.  Hold for several breaths.  
    
3. Sit in a comfortable cross legged position.  Starting with whichever foot is on top, take the fingers of your opposite hand and place each finger between each toe.  If this doesn't work, just clasp your hand around your toes.  Point and flex the foot and then make circles with the ankle in both directions.
    
4. Sit with your legs straight in front of you and flex your feet.  Then press your big toe mound and inner heal away from you (evert) and then come back to neutral and press your little toe mount and outer heel away from you (invert).  Continue rolling in and out for several breaths.  
    
5. Start in table top and tuck toes your toes under. Stay there, or take your hips to your heels for child's pose with your toes tucked.  Then come back to table top, untuck your toes so you are on the tops of your feet and sit your hips to your helps for child's pose.
    
6. Start in table top.  Place the top of your right foot in the arch of your left foot.  Either stay with shoulders over wrists or sit your hips back to your heels any amount.  If it feels ok, you can sit all the way back on your heels and place the palms of your hands on top of your thighs.  Wiggle the toes of your top foot to give your bottom foot a massage.  
    
7. Sit in a chair.  Place a yoga tune up ball (or any other ball, such as a tennis ball) under your foot and roll your foot around over the ball.  
    
8. Sit on your heels.  Hug your right knee into your chest with the sole of the right foot flat on the floor.  Then shift your weight towards the toes of your right foot as you lean your torso forward towards your right knee (your right heel may lift).  Hold there for several breaths.

Now that we've discussed some ways to warm up your ankles, let's discuss ways to strengthen them in your yoga practice. 

1. Start in Mountain Pose (Tadasana) with equal weight in both feet.  For all the movements below, specifically notice how your ankles feel as you move your feet and shift your weight in different directions.
    
   1. Shift your weight front to back (towards your toes and then towards your heels).
       
   2. Shift your weight side to side.  Start by shifting all your weight into one foot and then all your weight into your other foot.  Then slowly keep weight in both feet and just take your shoulders side to side.
       
   3. Roll on to the inner seam of your foot (big toe mound and inner edge of foot) and then roll on to the outer seam of your foot.  Move slowly and be careful.  
       
   4. Lift all your toes away from the floor.  Then lower your toes and lift your heels.  Continue alternating for several breaths.
       
   5. Lift just your big toes.  Then lower the big toes, keep the big toes down and lift the other toes.  Continue alternating.
       
   6. Play piano with your toes.  Start by lifting all toes, then lower each toe individually, starting with your big toe and working down to your pinky toe.  Do this several times.  Then lift all toes and lower from your pinky toe to your big toe.    
       
2. Start in down dog.  Lift your heels; then lower your heels and lift your toes.  Repeat this several times.
    
3. Practice chair pose at a wall with your feet hips distance apart.  Press evenly in both feet and track your knees over your toes.
    
4. Practice lunging poses, such as low lunge with your back knee down or lifted, or crescent pose.  In all lunging poses, stack your front knee directly over your ankle and press through the heel of your front foot.  And bring awareness to your back foot.  In a low lunge, press evenly through the top of the foot rather than letting the ankle sickle in or out.  In a lunge with your knee up or in crescent lunge, press evenly through the ball of the foot and press your heel towards the back of the room.  
    
5. Practice Warrior I and II.  When you practice these poses, ground through your front heel and the pinky toe edge of your back foot.  
    
6. Practice standing balance poses, such as tree, eagle, figure four, or Warrior III.  Press evenly through your standing foot and firm your outer hip toward the midline of the body.  As you balance, feel the muscles in your feet and ankle working to stabilize you.  If you want more of a challenge, try lifting your gaze towards the ceiling or closing your eyes.  
    
7. Sit in Malasana.  Ankle mobility (along with your hips and knees) may impact whether or not your heels ground into the mat or lift in this pose.  But notice how the front angle of your ankle decreases in this pose.  If this is challenging, working on some of the ankle warm up movements above may help you over time in this squat.  

You've probably never thought so much about your ankles before, unless you've had an ankle injury.  But your feet and ankles are the foundation for many of your yoga poses.  So strong and mobile ankles are really important as you move forward in your practice!