Login | October 21, 2024
Ankle strength
PETE GLADDEN
Pete’s World
Published: October 21, 2024
Did you ever give much thought to the state of your ankle’s strength and flexibility?
Well, as those decades continue to pile up on us, this area of the body becomes that much more of an important stopgap between losing your balance and falling or remaining stable and upright.
Indeed, this small little balance point upon which 95% of the body sits, really deserves a lot more attention than we typically give it in our fitness programs.
And don’t just take my word for it. There are a myriad of studies which point out that ankle strength and flexibility declines with age and therefore must be worked on just as we work other muscle and joints.
One such study, “The Effects of Changes of Ankle Strength and Range of Motion According to Aging on Balance,” published in the February 2013 issue of the Annals of Rehabilitation Medicine, states that, “Ankle strength, ROM [Range of Motion] and control of balance were declining and risk of falls was increasing with aging.
In particular, weakening of ankle plantar flexor and decline of ankle eversion ROM are important determinants of balance and falls in elderly people.
Therefore, it is necessary to assess ankle strength and ROM, while evaluating falling risks.
In addition, further studies are needed for intervention programs to improve the strength and flexibility of the ankle are beneficial in improving balance and prevention of falls in the elderly.
And what’s really important here is the fact that it really doesn’t take a whole lot of time and effort to work those ankle joints and their accompanying muscles so that falling risks become far less likely to occur.
Thus, let’s take a look at several time-efficient as well as east-to-do balance inducing exercises to add to your hit-list.
1. The first exercise I’m going to suggest is a quite simple one that I’ve been doing for years in order to keep my shin muscles strong and flexible: heel walking. For this exercise you rise up on your heels and begin a normal walking pattern across a stretch of flat, even surface. Make sure to keep those toes off the floor so you’re balancing on heels only. Walk forward for 40+ paces and then carefully walk those 40+ paces backwards. If you feel comfortable you can initiate side to side movement after the forward/backward walking. Do two to three sets several times per week.
2. The second exercise is just the reverse of the first: toe walking. Use the same parameters for this exercise as you do in the heel walking exercise. Here you’re targeting the calf muscles, which are antagonistic to the shin muscles.
3. My third exercise suggestion, the one-legged pseudo squat, requires a specialized piece of equipment that you’ll typically find in fitness facilities - the Bosu ball. And as a side note here, this piece of equipment is one in which I’ve long advocated as a “must have” piece of gear to purchase for home use, precisely because of its many applications as a balance training aid. Now exercise three is several levels of difficulty harder than my first two suggestions, so understand that you’ll need to be very proficient in exercises one and two before engaging in this single leg exercise.
To perform the one-legged pseudo squat, begin by positioning yourself on the top of the ball with both feet together. Next, slowly lift one foot off the ball and extend that leg as straight as possible out in front of you. Now maintain your balance and slowly bend that grounded leg ever so slightly as if to lower yourself into a minimal squat position. Be sure that the bent, grounded knee is in line with your small toe such that the knee does not rotate inwards. Finally, return to the top position and replicate this movement for several more reps. Repeat with the opposite leg and do one to two more sets.
And that’s it. Pretty darned easy isn’t it?
So don’t wait until your balance is compromised by ankle strength and flexibility issues.
Because as the saying goes, “tomorrow is today,” meaning that what you do today will have a big impact what you experience tomorrow.
Get proactive now and keep those ankle joints and muscles strong and stable for your senior years.