Australian Yoga Journal — November 2017

your practice

ANATOMY

72

november/december 2017

yogajournal.com.au

PHOTOS: JOE HANCOCK; ILLUSTRATION: MICHELE GRAHAMMODEL: DAYNA SERAYE; STYLIST: EMILY CHOI; TOP: PHAT BUDDHA; BOTTOMS: NUX

BODY OF KNOWLEDGE:

ANATOMY OF THE ANKLE

The ankle has six different movements available to it:

1 Dorsiflexion: the top of the foot moves toward the knee

2 Plantar flexion: the sole of the foot moves toward the calf

3 Aversion: the outside of the ankle moves toward your hip

4 Inversion: the inside of your ankle moves toward your groin

5 Abduction: a movement at the ankle causing the toes to move away from the body

6 Adduction: a movement at the ankle resulting in the toes moving in toward the midline

Fun fact: When you combine dorsiflexion, eversion, and abduction, your foot pronates;

when you combine plantar flexion, inversion, and adduction, your foot supinates.

It’s helpful to know the key bones and joints of the lower leg and foot to better

understand how the ankle moves:

Bones you should know

TIBIA (SHIN BONE) The larger of the two bones that make up the lower leg

FIBULA The thinner, smaller bone on the outside of the lower leg

CALCANEUS The heel bone

TALUS A wedge-shaped bone of the ankle joint that is located between the

heel bone and the fibula and tibia; it forges a connection between the leg and

the foot, aiding in ankle movements and helping maintain balance when weight

is transferred from the ankle to the leg

METATARSALSA set of five long bones in the mid-foot that connect the ankle to the toes

TARSALSA set of seven hind- and mid-foot bones that exist to help bear weight;

two of the most notable tarsals are the navicular and cuboid bones

NAVICULARA boat-shaped bone on the inner foot that creates the foot’s arch

and assists with weight distribution

CUBOIDA cube-shaped bone that connects and provides stability to the

outer foot and ankle

METATARSALS

TARSALS

NAVICULAR

CUBOID

[ TOP VIEW ]

Joints You Should Know

TALOCRURAL The technical

term for the ankle joint, which

is the point where the tibia,

fibula, and talus meet

TRANSVERSE TARSAL JOINT

Where the talus, calcaneus,

navicular, and cuboid bones meet

SUBTALAR JOINT Where the

talus and calcaneus meet