Australian Yoga Journal — November 2017

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 navigating

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 stabilise your

body weight, which is driving

down simultaneously through

your ankles’ narrow, right-angle

structure.

You’re probably oblivious to

the constant work your ankles

do—unless, of course, you’re one

of the millions of people who

sprain one each year. While the

majority of ankle sprains occur

when we’re young (between the

ages of 15 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 attention 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 stabilise this

joint. 71

november/december 2017

yogajournal.com.au

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 Virabhadrasana 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

visualise 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.

Top ankle problems

The most common ankle injuries and issues include:

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 (inversion).

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.

HYPERLAXITY

This is loss of ligament

integrity, and it’s a

common result of an

ankle sprain. When ankle

ligaments 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.

STIFFNESS

Ankles can become stiff

when their full range of

motion is not utilised 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.