Small things, big changes

Because I love learning about the body, I find myself immediately trying to apply new information and exercises to my work with clients. But every now and then, I rediscover something I learned quite awhile ago, and remember why even the simplest things can be SO effective.

Case in point.

OpenStax College / CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)

I was working with a client who was experiencing some back and leg pain due to a disc herniation. Rather than approach the herniation directly, we explored some neuromechanics drills to help bring better function to his lower extremities, and they helped somewhat. One of the last things we explored were lateral ankle tilts, which focus on mobilizing the talocalcaneal joint. Particularly important for people who have experienced multiple ankle sprains, this joint needs to be well-moving and well-trained — our brain needs to understand how to control the full range of motion of the joint.

These ankle tilts (see video below) were one of the first things I learned when beginning my training with Z-Health Performance, and I was reminded why they are so important when, after doing the exercise, my client’s function and movement showed a significant improvement.

Try them for yourself! When you watch the video below, the first three and last two repetitions are correct — the two in the middle show a lot of leg rotation (watch the shin rotate), which is something you want to try to avoid.

Have something to assess (forward bend, squat, push-up, some other activity/range of motion you struggle with) before and after performing these ankle tilts, and let me know what you discover in the comments.