Dorsiflexion: What is it? And, why does it matter?

Does your squat look like the first or second picture more? If you said the second picture, then there is a chance you might have poor dorsiflexion. Dorsiflexion is the backwards bending of a foot. Think, how far back can my toes bend towards my shin? In both pictures you’ll notice that my weight is still centered over my shoulder joint and ankle joint. But check out the angles of my shins in both pictures and the affect that it has on the position of my hips.

So, why is this important? If you’ve been doing any sort of exercise/fitness program for awhile now, you might know that good range of motion is incredibly important for your ease of movement and good technique in the movements you do during your workouts. I have found that full ankle mobility or full range of motion is one of those things that few realize is important, and that many individuals have to spend time working on improving their range. If you would like to improve the following list of exercises, then you should ensure your dorsiflexion is on point:

· Squats (bodyweight, back, front, overhead, goblet, etc.)

· One Legged Squats (Pistols)

· Lunges

· Box Jumps

· Any and all of the Olympic Lifts

· Any sports and any running, walking, jumping, throwing and all associated exercises

Now that I’ve basically created a list of almost every exercise, what is considered good or adequate dorsiflexion for these movements and how do you test for it? Beyond evaluating your shins while in the bottom of your squat and the angle to which they compress towards the floor, try this:

Fig. 3

With your shoes off, plant one foot on the floor close to the wall while your other foot is about a foot’s distance behind your lead foot. While maintaining your lead heel glued to the ground, try and drive that knee to the wall until your knee cap touches the wall. If you are successful, then pull your knee off the wall and slide your foot back slightly and drive your knee towards the wall again. Keep repeating this until you find your heel coming off of the floor. Find the furthest distance you can achieve with your heel down and measure the distance from the wall to your big toe. Then test the other ankle. Compare your results to the chart below:

Poor Dorsiflexion: Less then 10cm

Average Dorsiflexion: 10cm — 14cm

Excellent Dorsiflexion: 15cm or more

I would predict that if your test yielded something less than 10cm then you probably have difficulty squatting or difficulty in a range of other movements. So, I challenge you to improve that range with these stretches.

Fig. 4 Calf Stretch. Drive your helps towards the wall.

1. Find the wall and put your toe on the wall. With a straight leg, drive your hips towards the wall. You should feel your calf stretch. Hold for 20–30 seconds. Repeat on the other leg. (See Fig. 4 left)

2. With a weight (kettlebell or heavy slam ball) at hand, get your body into a pseudo-lunge position. Place the weight on top or your knee and force your ankle to flex (compress the angle) and stretch. Use a PVC (vertical, inside knee, outside foot) for stability and for use in forcing your ankle into position. Repeat on both sides. (See Fig. 5 below)

Fig 5: Be sure to use a heavy enough weight to force your knee down

3. Ankle Floss: Attach a mobility band to a low post (squat rack if you have it) and sling it through the ankle and face away from the anchor point. Pull your foot forward away from the post until you feel tension pulling the band into the ankle. “Floss” the joint by bending and flexing the ankle (closing the angle) multiple times for about 30 seconds or so. Then turn around and face the low post and repeat bending and flexing positions with the band pulling on the back of your ankle. Have a friend (or use a large weight) to help stabilize your foot at the inside of the ankle. (See Fig. 6 and Fig. 7 below)

Note: There are many more exercises you can do to stretch the tendon that allows dorsiflexion in your ankle. Just check our www.mobilitywod.com for more suggestions from Dr. Kelly Starrett. Some of the pictures used in this article came from his work.

I also challenge you to try these stretches at least 3 days a week for a month and record how much your range of motion improves. If you can do this and improve your range of motion I promise you your squats, jumps, and other movements will largely improve.

You can thank me when you PR!!

Edited by Megan Russo