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Plantar flexion is the movement of the foot away from the body, performed by bending the ankle. It is used in many activities, including sports and everyday tasks, but can cause pain and injury. Strengthening exercises and treatments are available to prevent and treat plantar flexion injuries.
Plantar flexion is the movement of the foot away from the body and is performed by bending the ankle. It is the opposite movement of dorsiflexion, which involves moving the foot towards the body. This motion is needed in many sports, but non-athletic people also use it, such as when standing on their toes, stretching, or even driving. The normal range of motion is between 30° and 50° and there are various exercises to keep plantar flexion pain at bay when it becomes a problem.
The bones involved in plantar flexion include the tibia, talus, and fibula, while the major muscles that make this movement possible are the gastrocnemius, plantaris, long peroneus, tibals posterior, and soleus. Regular athletes and athletes use this movement quite a bit, but even those who train rarely use it. For example, pressing the gas or brake pedal of a car, standing on tiptoes to reach high, and certain sleeping positions can take advantage of this foot motion. In fact, it is possible to notice pain in the area due to this movement often during sleep, or even after walking and standing for excessive periods of time. This means that anyone can end up with ankle pain from plantar flexion.
Those who use this foot motion frequently are likely to notice ankle or heel pain at some point. One of the most common types of problems associated with plantar flexion is plantar fasciitis, due to the repetitive execution of this movement. In fact, sudden weight gain can also cause this problem. Ankle sprains are another form of injury related to this foot movement, leading to the inability to move the ankle normally. Fortunately, there are various treatments available for plantar flexion injuries, including massaging the area, taping both the heel and arch, and weight loss.
There are also exercises that can strengthen joints and muscles to prevent injury to the area. The calf raise is one of them and involves standing up, holding onto a chair for support, then rising onto your toes for a second before lowering onto your balls of feet. Another exercise involves lying down with your knees straight, pointing your toes away from your body for about 15 seconds, then relaxing your feet and ankles before completing the exercise again. Both stretches can be repeated several times each, until your ankles feel stretched, and can be completed every day to help prevent injury.
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