Why and How To Do Band Ankle Mobilization

Your foot is the first thing that hits the ground with every step you take. That means the ankle joint is the primary joint that sets up how all the other joints of the kinetic chain will respond.

The knee, hip, low back and even the shoulder are going to have to adapt, adjust or compensate to whatever the ankle joint creates. As a result, the ankle joint is going to be key in making sure all other joints continue moving well while not being forced to compensate.

That said, how much time do you spend making sure your ankle joints stay mobile and moving well??

My assumption is you spend very little time on ankle flexibility and mobility since flexibility in general is typically not given very much time or emphasis. However, would you consider starting to mobilize the ankle more if you knew that it is the #1 joint that becomes tight and leads to almost all knee, hip and low back overuse injuries??

Don’t believe me??

There are shoe insert companies making billions of dollars placing off the shelf, non-customized inserts into shoes everyday to address what doing a simple band stretching and mobilization routine would very often eliminate.  

However, it is much easier to put in an insert than it is to stretch. Also, with the big marketing push in wearing minimalist shoes and performing barefoot training, it makes you think that the foot and ankle are pretty important joints that need to stay well mobilized.

How to Mobilize the Ankle with a Band

There are a lot of ways to mobilize the ankle just like there are a lot of ways to stretch the other parts of your body. However, doing simple body-weight stretching has shown to be less than effective for various reasons.

In my opinion it is very difficult to create enough passive over-pressure to effectively stretch muscles and mobilize joints doing simple body-weight driven stretches. Plus, very few people are motivated to do these types of stretches.

However, by applying a resistance band, it allows you to create an accommodating over-pressure while taking muscles and joints through any functional movement pattern. Plus, it also eliminates having to support the body which for many people becomes difficult. This is due to their lack of strength and may be why they are less willing to do body-weight driven stretching.

How Often and How Long Should You Mobilize the Ankle with a Band

Spending about 2 minutes on each ankle prior to doing your hip and shoulder band stretching seems to be all that is needed to help improve and maintain good ankle joint mobility. By building this into your band hip and shoulder stretching routine it makes it very easy and efficient to complete on a consistent basis.

How to Perform Ankle Joint Mobilization with a Quantum Band