So how supple are your ankles?
Can you draw the alphabet with your feet? Try a few letters, use your big toe on the floor. How clear are they?
When I was a child, I spent a lot of time in plaster casts post leg operations. One physio exercise I was often given was to draw the alphabet with my toes. I still use it to help people with issues in their feet and ankles.
Complex movements of the foot need co-ordination
These movements aren’t made with the ankle alone. The ankle itself is a simple hinge joint – it only opens and closes. What allows for greater complexity is the co-ordination with the subtalar joint (which we looked at last week), and the tibiofibular joints. These joints are at both ends of the tibia (the smaller lower leg bone on the outside). When you move your foot up and down, or take the heel inwards and outwards, the tibiofibular joints kick in. The small bone (the tibia) on the outside of the leg helps both with mobilisation and stabilisation of the joints in those movements.
Embodied Anatomy
As your sensory awareness grows, and you feel more clarity in how you’re put together, your movement skill can improve. Every Feldenkrais lesson is an embodied anatomy, being able to feel yourself from the inside out.
If the feet and ankles aren’t supple, its likely that you are overworking elsewhere. If the foot isn’t acting as the shock absorber, or able to shift its shape to adjust to the floor, you’re likely to be compensating in the knee and hip. Often leading to pain or injury over time.
Transform how you move, feel and live 