Ankle stretches are important for improving ankle mobility, foot and knee health, and preventing ankle injuries. There are several stretches, including sitting on a chair or floor and pulling toes towards or away from the body, loosening the ankle joint, and ankle inversion and eversion. Jumping activities can also help warm up ankle muscles. Stretching helps prevent injury and improve performance.
A person’s ankles carry a lot of weight, so it is important to stretch the ankle muscles. Ankle stretches can not only help improve ankle mobility, but can also contribute to healthy feet and knees. There are several ankle stretches that can help with all of these areas. It is imperative to do full ankle stretches before strenuous exercise or sports, as ankle injuries can be quite common.
The first ankle stretch involves removing your shoes and sitting on the front edge of a chair, with pillows supporting your back. The legs should be extended in front of the chair until they are fully stretched. Holding the heels on the floor, the toes are drawn away from the body until a stretch is felt at the top of the ankle; If no stretch is felt, the heels should lift slightly off the floor. This position must be held for about 20 seconds and then released; The stretch can be done five to ten times. A variation of this stretch can be done while sitting on the floor, with the legs stretched out away from the body.
Similar to the previous stretch, this next stretch also involves sitting on a chair or on the floor. On the other stretch, the toes were pointing away from the body. Alternatively for this stretch, the toes should be pushed in toward the body. The leg should be kept straight while doing this stretch, and it should be repeated five to ten times.
Loosening the ankle joint is also an important part of a warm up. This can be done by sitting in a chair and raising your right leg on top of your left, knee pointing out. Using the right hand, the leg is grasped just above the ankle joint, with the left hand holding the foot firmly. The foot is pulled towards the stomach and held for about five seconds; then it is pushed in the opposite direction, again held for five seconds. Slowly and smoothly, the ankle is turned before repeating with the left ankle.
Another popular ankle stretch is ankle inversion and eversion. To do this, a person sits on the floor with his legs stretched out in front of the body. The foot is turned in as far as it can go without pain, and is held in this position for 10 to 15 seconds. Sitting in the same position, the ankle is turned outward as far as possible without causing pain, and is held for 10 to 15 seconds.
Engaging in some jumping, jumping, and jumping activities beforehand also helps warm up and prepare your ankle muscles for a more involved workout. Ideally, these types of activities would be done after stretching and before playing sports or participating in aerobic exercise. Stretching helps lengthen muscles, and longer muscles are more powerful and have better elasticity.
These are the most popular ankle stretches that are commonly performed to warm up the ankle muscles and joints. Ankle injuries are among the most common sports injuries, so it’s important to always warm up this part of the body. Stretching not only helps prevent injury, but also helps maximize performance.
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