Restricted ankle mobility is quietly loading your knees, hips, and lower back with every step you take

Dorsiflexion — the ability to flex the ankle so the toes move toward the shin — is required for every step of normal gait, every squat, every stair descent, every landing from a jump. The functional minimum is approximately 20–25 degrees of dorsiflexion for normal gait. Restriction below this threshold is compensated by the body through pronation of the subtalar joint, internal rotation of the tibia, anterior pelvic tilt, and lumbar hyperextension.

Improving Dorsiflexion

• Calf stretching — both with straight knee (gastrocnemius) and bent knee (soleus) — held 90 seconds minimum
• Banded joint mobilisation (Mulligan technique) — posterior glide of the talus restores arthrokinematic motion
• Heel drop exercises on a step — eccentrically loads and stretches the calf complex through range
• Barefoot time — reduces the shortening effect of heel-elevated footwear over time