Standing Ankle Mobilization

Step 1

Starting Position:  Stand if front of a wall with feet placed a few inches apart and toes pointing toward the wall.  Lean forward, extending your arms and placing your hands on the wall to support your upper body.  Heels stay in contact with the floor.  Stiffen your abdominal muscles (“brace”) to stabilize your spine, then depress and retract your scapulae (pull shoulders down and back) without arching your low back.

Step 2

Maintaining alignment, slowly lift your right foot off the floor, flexing (bending) the hip and bending the knee to 90 degrees.

Step 3

While stabilizing the body over your stance (left) leg and continuing to lean forward, swing your right leg across the front of the body in the transverse plane (rotating the hips).  Allow your chest to open to the left with your head staying in alignment moving the direction of the swing (gaze to the left).  Hold for 1-2 seconds. Then, swing the right leg out to the right side, rotating the hips in the transverse plane. Allow your chest to open to the right with your head in alignment.  Hold 1-2 seconds. Throughout the exercise, keep the heel of your stance leg in contact with the ground as your weight shifts.

Step 4

Perform 5-10 repetitions on each leg for 1-2 sets.