Top 5 Fridays! 5 Easy and Novel Ankle Resets

Remember, it's not about what tips and tricks you use to get someone moving, it's how you educate them to move and keep the improvements between sessions.

5 Easy and Novel Ankle Resets

1) End Range Great Toe Flexion

as a pattern it is often limited in extension and may be painful to stretch in that direction
limits in great toe extension often cause forefoot eversion during gait, thus changing the pattern from bottom up
a more novel way to get to end range is passive end range great toe flexion
add IR/ER or oscillate to make it more comfortable

2) Repeated End Range Ankle Plantarflexion with Inversion

stretching into dorsiflexion is often limited by perception of pain/tightness in the posterior chain
slacking that posterior chain and attaining threat free end range is much easier with repeated plantarflexion and inversion
test and retest your limited ankle df before and after this, quick and easy!

3) Calcaneal Rocks

self mobilization of the subtalar joint is just as easy
just oscillate/wiggle back and forth in the sagittal, coronal, and transverse planes
try in various positions of dorsiflexion and plantarflexion

4) Calcaneal Chops

going with the theme that joint "mobilization" is really just joint "stimulation" what is more novel than chopping at the joint a bit?
you get the same effect as a manip, quick impulses of novel input
just make sure you tell the patient what you're doing before you go nuts on their calcaneus

5) Tibial Lateral Glide and IR variation

a lack of tibial IR and forefoot eversion often lead to limited ability for the tibia to translate anteriorly over the talus and also glide laterally (for a knees out cue)
this is a very powerful self reset and can be progressed with tibial IR/forefoot inversion variation as shown in the quick video

There you go! Quick and easy to implement to any home program or warm up!

Interested in live cases where I apply this approach and integrate it with pain science, manual therapy, repeated motions, IASTM, with emphasis on patient education? Check out Modern Manual Therapy!

Keeping it Eclectic...