Daily Mobility Exercises by Dr. Kelly Starrett Forums Foot/Ankle Free Your Heel, Free Your Mind

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    • #70340
      Avatar[email protected]
      Participant

      I’ve a crazy tight heel-cord that gets so tight it causes major pressure when I walk/run. I am used to it but that is far in the realm of dys-normal!

      I’ve been watching the videos for this, and the “Free Your Heel, Free Your Mind” episode from 3/2013 appears to be the most targeted for doing something myself. What I can’t tell from the video is WHERE the ball is underneath her feet. Is it above the bone pushing past it, or below it pushing up? I am confused…thanks!
    • #72428
      AvatarMartin Repcek
      Participant

      First of all, thanks for bringing this video to my attention again. Pretty sure this is the exact problem with my crappy ankle ROM problem. I have so much tightness in the area between where the achilles attaches to the calcaneus and the medial malleolus that my heel is being rotated up and inward. The tightness then continues up along the tibia to just below the knee. The result is my talus is getting wedged up and my cuboid is getting pushed out.  

      As to your question, do you mean along the side of her foot? I’m pretty sure it is placed in front of the lateral malleolus. In the video Kelly talks about and demonstrates pushing the fibula back. So you would push into the ball to force the fibula back. In the same position you would use the ball as a fulcrum while pushing down on the calcaneus. 
      I’ve tried this MWOD and the other one done with Jill Miller and haven’t had much luck. I’m just not capable of getting enough pressure on my foot to get things moving because everything is so tight. Maybe I need to get creative with a kettle bell and/or sandbag… 
    • #72857
      AvatarKent Zelle
      Participant

      Goodness gracious! My cuboid had just popped out last week. I believe it’s from a combo of poor ankle rom, tight peroneus longus and tight calf muscles, all thanks to the increase in running I’d suddenly started. My ankle lacks ROM, especially extroversion and dorsiflexion (two that I really need for running! doh!) I think I smoked my calves and then was jamming my ankle on each landing. Baaaaad me, I know. (I Pose run, but just haven’t built volume up yet.) My Huz pushed my cubiod back in place (no joke! thank you google) and I experienced immediate relief and total relief of aches in about two days. Back to walking with a pack but not running yet. Serious calf soreness still. I’m massaging out and now a even tighter left ankle and heel with some arch twinges. Doing Yoga Tune Up Jill Miller feet and ankles “prescription” and it is helping but not enough.

      I understand that I could easily reinjure this and the ligaments could get lax if I keep straining it. What are some other things that need to be addressed that I’m missing here?

      Fibula, ankle work, foot work, calf work…any thing else to add? I agree- my ankles and heels are not moving…like concrete. Are there any “secret” parts that are tight that may be contributing to this cuboid giving way?

    • #72873
      AvatarAnonymous
      Guest
    • #72915
      AvatarKent Zelle
      Participant

      Thanks Kaitlin. Yes, I have all sorts of hip tightness that comes and goes based on activities. Arches are good. Sliding surface is ok but there is no skin slack to slide. Heel cords are getting tight. Just tore some peroneal tendon anchors. Oh joy. What role does the hip have with the calf, ankle. What “lack of” doe the hips present when the ankle has problems? Anterior hip stretching has been amazing for me.

    • #72923
      AvatarAnonymous
      Guest

      It sounds like you have identified the areas/places that need attention.
      Tight hips can effect everything down stream and limit your ability to perform certain movements or ranges.
      With limited internal rotation, external rotation or both will result in your body making compensations in other places to feed slack to the hip to perform a movement or skill.
      Limitations at the hip may be where ankle problems originate. You see the issue at the ankle, but this may not be the root cause of the issue.
      Improved sliding surfaces and skin slack= less stress within system when moving. The movement is less expensive to perform when sliding surfaces move as they are designed to.
      Tight heel cords can impact aspects up and down stream from compensations within the system.

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