How can functional exercise prescription improve your clients' ankle health?

Functional exercise prescription refers to designing and implementing exercises that mimic real-life movements and activities to improve overall physical function and address specific health goals. When it comes to improving clients' ankle health, functional exercises can be highly beneficial. Here's how functional exercise prescription can improve your clients' ankle health are as follows: 1. Improved Range of Motion (ROM. 2. Strengthening of Ankle Muscles. 3. Enhancing Proprioception and Balance. 4. Neuromuscular Control. 5. Injury Prevention. 6. Rehabilitation Post-Injury. 7. Improved Gait Mechanics. 8. Functional Movement Patterns. 9. Customization to Individual Needs. 10. Long-Term Health and Well-Being.

Understanding the foot-ankle complex, kinetic chain, and spiral effect in gait is essential for effective functional training. It involves strengthening and mobilizing the foot and ankle, addressing the entire lower body kinetic chain for alignment and function, and incorporating three-dimensional movement patterns. Focusing on exercises that improve strength, flexibility, and proprioception, such as toe curls, heel walks, lunges with a twist, and cable rotations, enhances movement efficiency, reduces injury risk, and improves performance by training the muscles responsible for gait and movement actions.

One piece of equipment I found to help mimic the dynamic movement of the ankle is the slant-board. Barefoot or shoe, have them in single-leg stance(SLS). Rotate the slant-board 90 degrees after 20-30 seconds. This will rotate them through ankle; dorsiflexion, plantar flexion, inversion and eversion. Once they master that. Have them do 5 single leg RDLs in each ankle position. So much you can do with this concept.

Compromised ankle mobility can significantly affect the knee and hip, altering movement patterns and causing compensatory stresses. Limited dorsiflexion may lead to knee valgus and hip imbalances, increasing the risk of joint pain and injury. Addressing ankle mobility with stretches, strengthening, and mobility drills is vital for kinetic chain health. A holistic approach that includes a full-body training program ensures proper alignment and movement efficiency, preventing compensatory injuries and supporting joint integrity throughout the kinetic chain.

Cibler juste des exercices de renforcement et de proprioception n’est pas suffisant. En plus, il faut regarder la souplesse des chaînes musculaires et les fascia au début et pendant l’évolution des exercices afin de les optimiser. Apprendre au patient de faire des techniques myofasciales de courtes durée (une ou deux minutes sans plus) par exemple sur les muscles du mollet et tibiaux antérieurs et des étirements du triceps, quad et ischio aussi intéressant. Comme le disait mon collègue, souvent les membres inférieurs au complet peuvent être impliqués ou la technique sportive, les chaussures etc. C’est un ensemble de facteurs à prendre en compte.