Tipping the Talus

The foot and ankle are the first points of contact for the kinetic chain of our lower extremity. Knowing the talus is the Sacrum of the foot, if we effectively mobilize and create dynamic ranges of motion to it we can translate these forces to the knee and hip efficiently. For some people, serious alignment complications can often be a result of lack of mobility and dynamic stability in Dorsiflexion (flexing toes back) or Plantarflexion (pointing toes forward), as well as pronation (rolling inwards) and supination (rolling outward). The Talus is the bone that bridges the leg to the foot/ankle. And, if we efficiently articulate this bone to its full scale we can absorb and transmit forces to create a smooth kinetic chain.

Assessment:

With your arms straight in front of you, take a seat in a chair. Stand up and immediately lift one foot. Do you feel balanced? Do you feel unstable?

Exercise:

1. Stand up tall in parallel, on a BOSU (belly down), making sure to align shoulders over hips. NOTE: hold on to something stable for support.
2. Next, while maintaining your level in space, bend your left knee, knee over toes aligned, resulting in a complete shift of the BOSU to the left side. Perform this same action on the right side. Repeat 5x.
3. Then, return the BOSU to the center only this time bend both knees while sustaining the BOSU in its center position.
4. Finally, keeping the bend, rock the BOSU forward and backwards. Repeat 4x.

Reassessment:

Repeat the same task as the assessment. Do you notice any change in your speed from sit to stand? Do you also notice any change in how easy you can lift one foot and balance?

SEE VIDEO

Center

Pronation/Supination

Dorsi/Plantar flexion

How did this MoveCoLab Tip work for you? Email us your results at info@movecolab.com