Last month we saw poses to strengthen the foot. This month we will look at poses for ankle strength and stability. Many people have encountered ankle injuries. Some can be serious and if not allowed to heal correctly will cause trouble in the future. Yoga can help.
Anatomy 101: Get to Know the Ankle Joint
By Jill Miller, June 2017
This joint plays an important role in knee and foot health, balance, and more. Here’s what you need to know about your ankles.
Your ankles are the great negotiator between the ground and the rest of your body: The more than two-dozen bones that comprise your ankle and foot, and the three joints of your ankle, play a constant sensing game to determine what type of terrain you’re navigating and how to best move across it. Your ankles absorb the pressure that occurs when your feet hit the ground with each step you take. They also stabilize your body weight, which is driving down simultaneously through your ankles’ narrow, right-angle structure.
You’re probably oblivious to the constant work your ankles do—unless, of course, you’re one of the 9 million Americans who sprain one each year. While the majority of ankle sprains occur when we’re young (between the ages of 15 and 24), they often don’t heal completely, leaving many of us with long-term mobility and stability issues. The good news? Your yoga practice is an excellent way to give your ankles the attention they deserve. Below you’ll learn what you need to know about ankles in order to improve your balance and to strengthen and stabilize this joint.
Anatomy of the Ankle
It’s helpful to know the key bones and joints of the lower leg and foot to better understand how the ankle moves:
Joints You Should Know
Talocrural The technical term for the ankle joint, which is the point where the tibia, fibula, and talus meet
Transverse tarsal joint Where the talus, calcaneus, navicular, and cuboid bones meet
Subtalar joint Where the talus and calcaneus meet
The ankle has six different movements available to it:
- Dorsiflexion: the top of the foot moves toward the knee
2. Plantar flexion:the sole of the foot moves toward the calf
3. Eversion:the outside of the ankle moves toward your hip
4. Inversion: the inside of your ankle moves toward your groin
5. Abduction: a movement at the ankle causing the toes to move away from the body
6. Adduction: a movement at the ankle resulting in the toes moving in toward the midline
The most common ankle injuries and issues include:
- Sprain
An ankle sprain is an injury to the ligaments outside the ankle, when the soft tissues are aggressively overstretched and the area swells up in a state of repair. Most sprains occur when the foot rolls inward (inversion). Depending on the severity of the sprain, it can take anywhere from weeks to months to heal. When an ankle is overworked too soon after a sprain, the tissues may not heal properly and can become permanently unstable and hypermobile—setting the stage for further vulnerability to injury. - Hyperlaxity
This is loss of ligament integrity, and it’s a common result of an ankle sprain. When ankle ligaments haven’t healed from a prior injury, they are no longer able to do the job of supporting the ankle joint. (One sign this may be the case is if you can hear your ankle “popping” or clicking.) Hyperlaxity can lead to both muscle weakness and hypertonicity (having too much muscle tone), which can lead to an increased risk of balance issues and injury. - Stiffness
Ankles can become stiff when their full range of motion is not utilized on a regular basis—whether as a result of an injury (like a sprain) or simply from not moving enough. (High heels are also notorious for causing ankle stiffness.) The truth is, if you sit all day—or if you mostly walk on flat surfaces rather than on uneven or inclined terrain—there’s a good chance your ankles don’t move through their full range of motion often enough, and they may be limited as a result.
Vrksasana Tree Pose, variation
Standing on one leg improves balance and ankle stability, which means it’s a good idea to practice single-leg standing poses often. This Vrksasana variation promotes agility in your lower legs, ankles, and feet, while transforming your lifted foot into a sensor of sorts (which provides feedback on the wobble situation in your standing ankle). This modification is particularly great for those who have trouble balancing on one foot.
Energy-Revving Smoothie
For a cold smoothie, make sure at least one of the fruits are frozen, or serve over ice. Place 2 packed cups fresh spinach and 2 cups water in a blender, puree until smooth. Add 1 cup chopped pineapple, 1 cup chopped mango and 1 banana, peeled, blend until smooth. Serves 2.
You can make your ow energy-boosting combo with this mix and max chart from simplegreenssmoothies.com
2 Cups of leafy greens: spinach, kale, swiss chard, romaine, bok choy, collards, or dandelion
2 Cups liquid base: water, coconut water, coconut milk, almond milk, cashew milk, or sparkling water
3 Cups ripe fruit: banana, pineapple, grapes, figs, melon, dried dates, apricots, or passion fruit
Directions: blend leafy greens and liquid base, add fruit (at least one frozen) blend again
Nine Laws for Creating Success
- Be absolutely clear on your goal. State the goal in the present based on what you are attracting. Identify how attaining your goal will help you, your significant others, your community and mankind. Connect your goal with your highest intention.
- Be aware of the law of attraction. Approaching a goal from fear and scarcity attracts the same energy and goal attainment is not possible. Approaching a goal from gratitude and abundance attract the same energy and success.
- Create a compelling vision of you having attained the goal. Step into that place of having completed the goal. Notice how you think about the goal. Notice how you shifted negative thoughts into positive thoughts on our path to goal attainment. Notice any beliefs which helped you achieve the goal. Notice the actions you took to get the results you did. From this place looking back, catalogue the actions taken and the timing of these actions. Write these down.
- Come back and be fully present in the here and now. Reflect. Look at the list of actions and the timing. Revise these as appropriate into your action plan and identify three things you are going to do to implement your plan this week and one thing you will do within twenty-four hours.
- Identify 3 people who will assist you on or success journey. These are your power partners and can be anyone who will mentor or otherwise be there for you. Realize that you are creating and attracting success by your thoughts, beliefs, and actions.
- Connect with your customers with the attitude of being of service. Make it a point to establish rapport and build relationships. Notice what and who you are attracting
- Adopt an attitude of abundance. Consistently under commit ad over produce.
- Accept responsibility for every aspect of your plan and every result. Excuses attract negative energy. There are always bumps in the road and adjustments made to plans. The goal remains the same, the plan is adjusted, Approach every result with an attitude of gratitude.
- Celebrate your success along the way. Plan a unique reward for specific milestones along the way. Success is a journey, not a destination. Enjoy the journey!
‘Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow’
Ralph Waldo Emerson
