Going Hiking? Here is what you can do to prepare your ankles.
Authors: Jamie Schaub PT, DPT, Brett Halpert PT, DPT
Hiking is a great full body exercise, no matter the trail where you find yourself. Physical benefits to hiking include building strength in muscles and bone, improving balance, and improving cardiovascular and respiratory health. In addition to improvement in physical health, hiking can improve mental health by boosting mood, reducing stress, calming anxiety, and lowering risk of depression. Hiking can be done with friends, family, or neighbors to make being on the trail more enjoyable and further strengthen your relationships.
Although there are many benefits to hiking, it does not come without its risks. Common lower extremity injuries that can occur while hiking include but are not limited to ankle sprains, muscle strains, knee pain, achilles tendinitis, plantar fasciitis, and muscle cramping. Engaging in lower body strength and mobility exercises along with staying properly hydrated and fueled can help prepare you for the trail and prevent injuries from occurring.
Our Ashlynn reaching the summit of Clouds Rest, in Yosemite National Park
Hiking trails often have steeper inclines and more uneven terrain than everyday walking. Because of this, our ankles and feet require greater mobility to adapt to the uneven surface. If one’s flexibility is limited, we recommend a series of ankle mobility exercises.
Dramatic example of uneven terrain often encountered when hiking
Exercise one:
This exercise involves a strong resistance band and a step. Tie the resistance band to a stable surface and loop the band along the ankle joint just below the bony prominences on either side of your ankle. Next, lift your foot onto the step creating a 45 degree angle with the band. The stronger the band is pulling on your ankle, the stronger the stretch. While keeping your heel firmly on the step, bring your knee as far forward as you can tolerate. The further your knee travels past your toes, the stronger the stretch. From this position, either bring your knee back and forth (past your toes) or hold at end-range for a more static stretch.
Exercise one- designed to improve ankle mobility
Exercise two:
At the end-range of ankle mobility from exercise one, move your knee side to side.
Exercise two- designed to improve ankle mobility
Like ankle mobility, it is optimal to have good strength and stability in the ankle/foot to allow adaptation to uneven terrain. Certain hiking shoes advertise “more stability”; however, this is achieved by the shoe being more restrictive and therefore, limiting ankle mobility. For this reason, we feel it is best for ankle stability to be created from your muscles and proprioceptors (our sensory receptors that respond to position and movement). Here are a few good exercises to improve ankle/foot strength and proprioception.
Exercise three:
This exercise involves a step. The taller the step, the more difficult the exercise. Stand on one leg, then slowly step forward with the opposite foot. Take at least 4 seconds to step-down. While keeping your stationary foot on the step, return your non-stationary foot to the starting position. Repeat this exercise to each side for more lateral stability.
Exercise three- designed to improve ankle/foot strength & proprioception
Exercise four:
Stand upright, lift one leg off the ground. Then bend forward at the hips while reaching your raised leg behind you. Make sure to keep your back flat and avoid rounding through your spine and maintain a slight bend in your standing leg. Draw your raised leg back to the starting position. A weight can be held to increase the challenge of the exercise. This exercise has been jokingly called the “drinking bird”, as it resembles a bird drinking water.
Exercise four- designed to improve ankle/foot strength & proprioception
Exercise five:
Lift your great toe on and off the floor, while keeping your remaining four toes stationary on the floor. Then repeat this exercise lifting your four little toes, while your big toe remains stationary on the ground. This exercise is often referred to as “toe yoga” and can be very challenging at first but with continued practice can be mastered.
Exercise five- designed to improve foot proprioception
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