The Ready State: Mobility Training with Dr. Kelly Starrett › Forums › Foot/Ankle › Ankle Locked Every Day

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    • 11/22/2013 at 3:06 pm #70606
      AvatarJoyce Lee
      Participant

      Anyone have any suggestions here?

      My left ankle is very stiff and feels like it is blocked.  I have had a PT do some manual work on it and I have done really all of the various MWODs for ankle mobility and i can get it to loosen up.  But no matter what I do, I wake up the next day and it is totally blocked again.  I can feel my foot having to collapse when i walk in the morning because my ankle won’t flex at all.  
      I have started to try to do ankle strengthening exercises but either i’m making very slow progress or none at all.
    • 11/22/2013 at 9:32 pm #73271
      AvatarAnonymous
      Guest

      You may need multiple PT sessions to resolve the problem.
      If this is something that has been an issue it is going to take some time to resolve.
      Same as breaking a bad habit with a movement pattern. It is hard and takes time to change.
      In this type of situation you’ll need to mobilize various times throughout the day. For example morning, lunch time, dinner time. Repeating the stimulus for the changed movement pattern, technique change etc. will help to improve the technique and establish a new movement pattern & neuro pathway.
      Have you look up and down stream of the ankle?
      This issue may not originate at the ankle. This is where you see it, but it may not be the root of the cause.
      Until you identify where the issue originates and address that the problem will continue because you are addressing a symptom of the issue not the causexof the issue.
      Have you addressed the cause of your foot collaping?

      Episode 07: Bro, Your Navicular Bone Dropped

    • 11/23/2013 at 4:40 pm #73273
      AvatarTimothy John Clarke
      Member

      A man with a similar problem: http://www.mobilitywod.com/2013/06/pro-episode-21-pro-user-request-friday-not-seeing-the-change-you-need-a-systems-approach/

    • 11/29/2013 at 5:07 pm #73316
      AvatarNathan Richer
      Participant

      I had a similar problem where every morning i would wake up and my flexor hallicus would be tight, and sometimes my anterior tib would also be tight.  both served to tighten up tissues around my ankle in the morning.  subsequent mobility work pre-workout would loosen it up enough for a good workout to happen. but then it would repeat the next morning!

      what made it better was actually tib-fib taping.  apparently due to multiple ankle sprains over the years, i started having a tib-fib problem where the mechanoreceptors in/around my ankle were messed up due to the damage of sprains and healing up with scar tissue.  the receptors could not figure out how to fire the right muscles in response to normal every day things from standing to walking to running.  i finally did taping every day around the ankles for about 2 months and this calmed things down A LOT.  
      it’s not 100% unfortunately, but it is a lot better.  I still tape for workouts and taping brings almost immediately loosening of my flexor hallicus and calf structures – they respond better to mobility work and smashing and remain loose for the rest of the day, even after i take the tape off after the workout.
      this may or may not be your problem but i also had very locked up ankles as a result.  also not sure if i would recommend this, but my chiro PT showed me how to release my ankles using a self manipulation.  that also helped a lot and i do it to both ankles after some band mobility work.
      if you want to give it a try to see if there is an effect, get some sports tape (highly recommend Johnson & Johnson brand, do NOT buy any other brand- trust me) and some pre-wrap.  wrap the pre-wrap around your ankle, right above your malleous/ankle bone.  Then wrap 2 circles of tape around the pre-wrap as tight as you can get it without cutting off circulation.  Keep the direction of taping in mirror images to each other on each ankle.  then go mobilize and smash and test to see if it is better. 
      another thing to try after this is to tape before bed at night and leave it on all night, and then get up to see if you still have a locked up ankle.
      if it is better, you might try taping up before each workout, or go for a full 2 month/every day taping protocol…
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