Scott Pelton-Stroud Posted October 29, 2014 Share Posted October 29, 2014 Is there a relationship between the two? For instance, will stretching my calf improve my ankle flexion? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keilani Gutierrez Posted October 29, 2014 Share Posted October 29, 2014 dorsiflexion ROM grows and flexion contraction usually gives me some cramps as soon as I finish some dedicated calve stretching, so something good must be going on. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keegan Yentsch Posted October 30, 2014 Share Posted October 30, 2014 The ankles actually "flex" in two directions:Dorsiflexion-this is what is commonly known as "flexing the ankle"/top of foot and front of shin come closer togetherPlantar flexion-this is what is commonly called "pointing the ankle"/think of standing on your toesThe calves are the primary Plantarflexors (Soleus when the knee is flexed/bent, Gastrocnemius when the knee is extended/straight) and thus are the primary limiting factor in passive Dorsiflexion ROM.So yes, stretching the calves will improve your ankle Dorsiflexion ROM. You should do both straight leg calf stretching and bent leg calf stretching if you want the best overall results; though if you have a specific exercise that you feel your ankles are limiting you in it would be wise to figure out whether bent or straight leg stretches will help you more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Jones Posted November 14, 2014 Share Posted November 14, 2014 Thanks Keegan for that, clears up a lot of questions I had about my incredible immobile ankles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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