Yoga Journal USA - July-August 2017

60

august 2017

yogajournal.com

ANATOMY

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The ankle joint

This joint plays an important role in knee and foot health, balance, and more.

Here’s what you need to know about your ankles. By Jill Miller

WHY WOBBLING CAN BE A GOOD THING

Have you ever looked down at your standing leg during a balance pose, such as Virabha-

drasana III (Warrior Pose III) or Vrksasana (Tree Pose), and tried to stop all of that quivering

in your ankle? If you answered yes, it’s time to embrace the wobble. Because true balance

occurs in the middle of the oscillation; the side-to-side rocking is the result of your ankle’s

positional sensors relaying information to your brain’s balance system. Not wobbling

means you’re likely locked into an end-range position in the ankle and perhaps at a higher

risk of injury as a result. So, the next time you’re in a one-legged balance pose, internally

gaze at the moving ankle of your standing leg and visualize the ankle shifting back and

forth. Your wobble will result in more equanimity in the pose and an increase in the

amount of time you can stand on one foot.

HYPERLAXITY

This is loss of ligament

integrity, and it’s a com-

mon result of an ankle

sprain. When ankle liga-

ments haven’t healed

from a prior injury, they

are no longer able to

do the job of supporting

the ankle joint. (One sign

this may be the case is if

you can hear your ankle

“popping” or clicking.)

Hyperlaxity can lead to

both muscle weakness

and hypertonicity (having

too much muscle tone),

which can lead to an

increased risk of balance

issues and injury.

SPRAIN

An ankle sprain is an injury

to the ligaments outside

the ankle, when the soft

tissues are aggressively

overstretched and the area

swells up in a state of repair.

Most sprains occur when

the foot rolls inward (inver-

sion). Depending on the

severity of the sprain, it can

take anywhere from weeks

to months to heal. When an

ankle is overworked too soon

after a sprain, the tissues

may not heal properly and

can become permanently

unstable and hypermobile—

setting the stage for further

vulnerability to injury.

Top ankle problems

The most common ankle injuries and issues include:

YOUR ANKLES ARE the great

negotiator between the

ground and the rest of your

body: The more than two-

dozen bones that comprise

your ankle and foot, and the

three joints of your ankle,

play a constant sensing

game to determine what

type of terrain you’re navi-

gating and how to best

move across it. Your ankles

absorb the pressure that

occurs when your feet hit the

ground with each step you

take. They also stabilize your

body weight, which is driv-

ing down simultaneously

through your ankles’ nar-

row, right-angle structure.

You’re probably oblivious

to the constant work your

ankles do—unless, of course,

you’re one of the 9 million

Americans who sprain one

each year. While the majority

of ankle sprains occur when

we’re young (between the

ages of 1 5 and 24), they often

don’t heal completely, leaving

many of us with long-term

mobility and stability issues.

The good news? Your yoga

practice is an excellent way

to give your ankles the atten-

tion they deserve, helping

to reverse past damage and

keep you injury free for years

to come. In the pages ahead,

you’ll learn what you need to

know about ankles in order

to improve your balance and

to strengthen and stabilize

this joint.

STIFFNESS

Ankles can become stiff

when their full range of

motion is not utilized on

a regular basis—whether

as a result of an injury (like

a sprain) or simply from

not moving enough. (High

heels are also notorious

for causing ankle stiffness.)

The truth is, if you sit all

day—or if you mostly

walk on flat surfaces rather

than on uneven or inclined

terrain—there’s a good

chance your ankles don’t

move through their full

range of motion often

enough, and they may

be limited as a result.