How to Do an Ankle Mobility Test & 20 Best Drills for Limited Range

Limited ankle mobility can lead to poor performance in workouts and painful and inefficient movement. If your ankle lacks the range of motion, it needs to bend deeply, and you may struggle to perform squats and lunges correctly, which can lead to injuries and prevent you from achieving your fitness goals. The ankle mobility test assesses how well your ankle moves to determine whether you have healthy or limited ankle mobility. This article will walk you through how to perform the ankle mobility test and how to improve your ankle mobility if yours is limited and How to Measure Flexibility.  

Pliability's mobility app can help you reach your goals by giving you access to targeted warmups, workouts, and recovery routines designed to improve ankle mobility.

What Is Ankle Mobility and Why Is It Important?

Ankle mobility refers to the ability of the ankle joint to move freely through its range of motion, especially in dorsiflexion (when the foot moves upward toward the shin). Ankle mobility is crucial because it:

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• Affects overall movement mechanics, balance, and athletic performance.
• Helps prevent injuries such as sprains, strains, and Achilles tendonitis.

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“When the ankle joint isn’t moving properly, it can cause problems all the way up the kinetic chain,” says Christopher Lundstrom, Ph.D., a lecturer in the School of Kinesiology at the University of Minnesota. “Irregularities at the ankle can cause overuse injuries like runner’s knee, IT band syndrome, and Achilles tendinopathy.”

Mobility Defined

Flexibility is all about soft tissue (your muscles, tendons, and ligaments), says Lundstrom. “Mobility, on the other hand, is about a joint’s range of motion and ability to function properly.”

Mobility = Strength + Flexibility

Ankle mobility refers to whether or not that combo pack exists in (you guessed it) your ankle area. “When someone has good ankle mobility, the muscle tissues, ligaments, tendons, and fascia surrounding the ankle joint are not tight and are able to move the way they should,” says physical therapist Grayson Wickham, founder of Movement Vault. 

“When someone has good ankle mobility, they are able to move their ankle joint through its full range of motion,” Wickham adds. “And when someone has imperfect ankle mobility, they are not able to move their ankle through its full range of motion.” People who fall into the latter camp may experience pain in other parts of their bodies.

What You Need to Know About Ankle Mobility

“Ankle mobility refers to the ability of the ankle to move freely through its range of motion,” says David Caldarella, the head of podiatric medicine and a foot/ankle specialist at St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center, a Boston University Teaching Hospital, in Boston. 

“The ankle proper is a singular joint that connects the two leg bones, the tibia and the fibula, to the ankle bone, which is called the talus. It primarily moves in one direction: up and down. When your foot is pointing upwards, that’s called dorsiflexion; when your foot is pointing down, that’s called plantar flexion. There is another joint right below the ankle called the subtalar joint,” says Caldarella, which is responsible for moving your foot side to side, a.k.a. pronation and supination.

Ankle Compensation

These joints function as a unit, but this article will focus on the mobility of the ankle joint itself. Caldarella says a normal gait requires at least 10 to 15 degrees of dorsiflexion. On the flip side, most people have 30 to 35 degrees of plantar flexion available (but that type of motion is way less of a concern for runners). 

“If the ankle joint isn’t moving properly [or hitting that minimum 10-degree dorsiflexion], then something has to compensate for that,” says Lundstrom. “And irregularities at the ankle can cause problems all the way up the kinetic chain.” That may mean overuse injuries like:

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• Runner’s knee
• IT band syndrome
• Achilles tendinopathy

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Compensatory Movement

If one ankle is not moving properly, you won’t be able to push off and create as much force with that side while running, Lundstrom explains. Not only does that force your knee and low back to absorb more stress, but it also requires the opposite side to do more work to keep you moving forward, which could lead to overworked calves or hip flexors on that other side.

Why Many People’s Ankle Mobility Goes Bad

We sit A LOT. “These days people aren’t moving enough,” says Wickham. “Instead, we’re sitting at work, during meals, while bingeing our favorite shows, and during our commute. And the people who are moving often, aren’t moving in a varied-enough way.” 

Long-distance runners and Peloton aficionados may move frequently but repeatedly in the same plane of motion (the sagittal plane). 

The problem: Both sets of people aren’t moving their ankles through their full range of motion. As the saying goes: Use it or lose it. 

Another common culprit of limited ankle mobility: “Sometimes, we just get scar tissue from old injuries, like ankle sprains,” says Lundstrom. Research shows that limited ankle dorsiflexion is a common occurrence after ankle sprains. 

Ankle Instability

Caldarella says that when the ankle ligaments, especially those on the outside ankle, are not mechanically strong due to sprains that never fully healed, that can also impact ankle stability. Ankle instability occurs when, instead of moving like a hinge, up and down, as intended, you lose that stability, and the ankle can roll. 

Ankle instability was among runners' most common injuries in a 2020 Journal of Clinical Medicine analysis. “Less acute types of damage can also cause issues, like excessive force from running downhill,” says Lundstrom. 

Even general inflammation can inhibit the ankle’s range of motion. “If you don’t flush that out before you start running, then you’ve got a joint trying to function when it’s not warmed up and fluid yet,” says Lundstrom. Yet another reason warming up is so important! Our footwear choices aren’t helping, either.

Footwear Impact

“The day-shoes and sneakers most people wear all day long are too high,” Wickham says. “They have a 12-millimeter (or so) heel lift, meaning your foot is in a slightly plantar-flexed position all day long.” And that means the muscles along the bottom of our feet are slightly shortened all day. 

Doing this long-term can affect our ability to lengthen those muscles responsible for bringing our ankles into a dorsiflexed position. Plus, most shoes these days are super-duper cushioned. Comfy? Sure. But these foot-mattresses take over the job that the muscles in our feet and ankles should be doing (supporting our bodies). “With nothing else to do, those muscles start to snooze,” explains Wickham.

Muscle Weakening

“And when those muscles aren’t working, they’re weakening.” Certified personal trainer Julia Hickman, founder of Fastinista Online Studio, adds that previous injuries, other bodily imbalances, age, and diet can also affect ankle mobility.

The Importance of Ankle Mobility for Injury Prevention

Good Ankle Mobility = Injury Prevention

“If your ankle mobility is limited enough, it can impact your walking gait,” says Wickham. When your walking gait gets wonky, a chain reaction happens up your body, increasing your risk of injury elsewhere. Hip and knee injuries are widespread in people with limited ankle mobility. 

“Without adequate mobility, the ankle stops acting like an ankle, which forces the knee or hip to act like an ankle,” Wickham notes. This can lead to overuse injuries in those precious joints. Injuries caused by:

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• Poor ankle mobility
• Plantar fasciitis 
• Achilles tendinopathy 
• shin splints 
• Patellofemoral pain hip 
• Knee injuries pulled the lower back muscles 

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Movement Performance

Good ankle mobility is vital for performance beyond injury prevention. It’s essential for safely executing exercise movement patterns like the hinge and squat.

Consider The Back Squat

For you to sit back, ass-to-grass, your knee needs to be able to track over your toes. This requires (that’s right) adequate ankle mobility. Without that mobility, the best-case scenario is to shortchange your squat depth, shortchanging the movement's glute, quad, hamstring, and midline-strengthening potential. 

The worst-case scenario is that you try to squat lower, can’t do that with good form, and force your knees or hips to act as ankles, which increases your risk of injury over time.

Related Reading

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• Why Do I Keep Getting Injured
• How to Prevent Soreness After Leg Day
• Why Am I So Inflexible
• Why Are My Hips So Tight

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How to Do An Ankle Mobility Test

Testing ankle mobility is crucial for assessing range of motion and identifying any restrictions. Limited ankle mobility can:

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• Affect general movement patterns 
• Increase your risk of injury

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While the best way to check your ankle mobility is to test it by a physical therapist thoroughly, you can try some at-home assessments on yourself.

Dorsiflexion Mobility Test: The Knee to Wall Test 

To quickly screen for ankle dorsiflexion mobility, try using the knee-to-wall test.

Here’s How To Do It

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• Stand barefoot with your foot flat and about a thumb's width away from a wall.
• Drive your knee forward and try to touch your knee to the wall without lifting your heel or turning your foot outwards.
• If you can't touch the wall, move your foot closer. If you can, move your foot back.
  

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Your ankle dorsiflexion range is the distance between your big toe and the wall. A distance of less than about 4 inches (10 centimeters) may indicate limited ankle dorsiflexion mobility. Take note if you notice any pain or discomfort during this screen and bring it up to your Physical Therapist, especially if you have had a previous injury that you never fully rehabbed.

Half-Kneeling Dorsiflexion Test: A Reliable Measure of Ankle Mobility

This specific test has been used numerous times in research to assess ankle mobility. Physical Therapist Dr. Mike Reinold recommended this screen because it provides reliable results without needing a trained specialist. 

Here’s How To Do It

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• Find a wall and kneel close to it with your shoes off.
• Use a tape measure and place your big toe 5 inches from the wall.
• From this position, push your knee forward, attempting to touch the wall with your knee. Your heel must stay in contact with the ground. 

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Movement Checklist

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PASS

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• The knee can touch the wall at 5 or more inch distance
• Heels remain firmly planted
• Knees Aligned with Feet
• No Pain noted

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FAIL

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• Knee Unable to touch wall at 5 inch distance
• Heels pull off from ground
• Knees collapsed inwards (Valgus collapse) to touch wall
• Pain noted
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Did you have checkmarks in the ‘pass’ column? If you could touch your knee to the wall at a distance of 5 inches while keeping your knee in line with your foot, you would show adequate mobility in the ankle.

If you had any checks in the ‘fail’ column for this screen, you have a dorsiflexion mobility restriction. This restriction could be either a soft tissue restriction, a joint mobility problem, or both!

Plantarflexion Mobility Test: The Seated Heel Sit 

To quickly screen for Ankle Plantarflexion mobility, perform a Seated Heel Sit.

Here’s How To Do It

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• Initiate the movement by going on all fours with your knees together and ankles pointed.
• Begin to sit back on your heels with your hands still on the ground while keeping your heels together.
• Try to sit back with your torso vertical over your hips, attempting to close off any space between your ankles and the floor.
  
  

If you can't sit back all the way, use your hands for more support. If you can sit upright, perform with your heels closer together.

Ankle Dorsiflexion

If you can't close the distance between your ankles and the floor, this may indicate limited Ankle Plantar Flexion. You should be able to sit with your torso vertical and your glutes sitting on your heels with minimal discomfort.

One thing to consider about this ankle mobility test is whether your knees have enough range of motion to access this position. If you find your knees feeling stiff as you sit back, try sitting back with a pillow tucked into the crease of your knee. This will create a cushion while moving your ankle through its full flexibility.

Ankle Mobility in Motion: Squats 

If you’ve got access to a sandbox or another surface you can draw on, kneel on your knees with your feet behind you and try to draw a big circle with your big toe on each side, says Lundstrom. “You can measure the range of motion just by looking at the size of the circle,” he explains. 

(The smaller it is, the more you must work on your range of motion.) “You can also compare one side to the other to see if and where you’re more limited.”

Squat Screen

Since limited dorsiflexion can impact several functional movement patterns, basic strength training exercises like squats can be great screening tests for ankle mobility issues. 

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• Picture doing a squat. 
• As you send your hips back (as if you’re sitting back into an invisible chair) and bend your knees, you want to drop below a 90-degree knee bend.
• Move your knees forward over your feet, and keep your heels planted on the floor.

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Dorsiflexion Deficit

If you’re limited in any of those areas, that’s a red flag that your ankle lacks the dorsiflexion you need to run your strongest.

Ankle Mobility in Motion: Lunges

A lunge is another easy test. Here’s how to figure out your degree of dorsiflexion: 

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• Use a tape measure with centimeters and place it perpendicular to a wall. 
• Face the wall and lunge forward so your knee touches the wall. 
• Move the foot back until the knee only makes slight contact with the wall while the foot remains flat on the ground. 

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That’s your point of maximal dorsiflexion. 

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• It’s time for some math: each centimeter corresponds to approximately 3.6 degrees of ankle dorsiflexion. 
• The major takeaway here: The less you can bend your knee forward over your foot, the more limited the range of motion in your ankle.

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Weight-Bearing Lunge Test

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• Get into a kneeling lunge position next to a wall with your front toes placed about five inches away (you can use the width of your hand as a basic guide). 
• Lean forward to lunge toward the wall. 
• Try to touch the wall with your knee while keeping your front heel on the floor.  
• Adjust your stance closer or further away from the wall so your knee hits the wall at the end of its range of motion.
  
  

Keeping your toes at least five inches away from the wall while your knee touches it is considered a normal range of motion. If you struggle to get there, it’s a sign that you might want to add more ankle mobility exercises to your routine.  

Related Reading

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• Why Can't I Straighten My Arm After Working Out
• Why Are My Hamstrings So Tight
• Why Does My Leg Shake When I Stretch
• Fitness Assessment
• Sit and Reach Flexibility Test
• How Flexible Are You

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20 Stretch and Strength Moves for Ankle Mobility

1. Ankle Plantar Flexion 

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• Sit down on the floor. 
• Bend one leg at the knee while the other leg is straight out in front of you on the floor. 
• Loop a resistance band around the ball of your flexed foot on the floor, and hold it with your hands. 
• Start by pointing your toes slowly forward and then return to a flexed position, releasing the tension. 
• Repeat on each foot three times for a total of 40 seconds.

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2. Ankle Circles

Lundstrom says ankle circles help flush out inflammation in the ankle joint, so it’s warmed up properly before a run.

How To Do It

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• Sit down on the floor. 
• Bend one leg at the knee with the other straight out in front of you on the floor. 
• Put a rolled-up towel under the front ankle. 
• Turn your front foot slowly in circles, alternating clockwise and counterclockwise directions. Be careful to move only your foot and not your leg. 
• Repeat on each foot three times for a total of 40 seconds.

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3. Toe-Heel Walks

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• Walk for 30 seconds while standing on your toes.
• Then, walk for 30 seconds while standing on your heels. 
• Repeat three times.

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4. Supported Isometric Squat

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• Holding onto a squat rack or pole, stand with your feet hip-width apart, toes pointed slightly out.
• Bend at your knees to squat down as low as you can until you feel a restriction in the ankle.
• Hang out in that position for about 30 seconds.
• Press your feet into the ground to come back up to standing. 
• Repeat two to three times.

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5. Straight-Knee Calf Stretch

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• Stand facing a wall, about a foot or two away.
• Place the leg you want to stretch about a foot behind your other leg.
• With your hands on the wall, lean forward from the hips, bending only the front knee until the back calf muscle feels a stretch. 
• Keep that back heel on the floor and the back knee straight the entire time.
• Hold for about 30 seconds, switch legs, then repeat.

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6. Bent-Knee Soleus Stretch

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• Stand facing a wall, about a foot or two away.
• Place the leg you want to stretch about a foot behind your other leg.
• With your hands on the wall, bend both knees until the soleus, the lower muscle of the back calf, feels stretched. 
• Continue to keep that back heel on the floor the entire time.
• Hold for about 30 seconds, switch legs, then repeat.

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7. Eccentric-Focused Calf Raises

Research published in the Journal of Foot and Ankle Research shows that calf or heel raises help improve ankle joint dorsiflexion range of motion.

How To Do It

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• Standing on the edge of a step or another elevated platform, lift your heels to rise up onto both feet' metatarsals (the ball of your foot).
• Lift one foot off the step.
• Slowly lower on the other leg for about three to five seconds, until that heel is dipping below the edge of the step.  
• Start with one or two sets of 10 reps on each leg, working up to three sets of 15 reps. 

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8. Forward Bound

Dynamic movements are the best way to warm up before a run. “This is less about performing an explosive movement and more about working that quick ankle flexion,” says Lundstrom, just like what you need in your running gait.

How To Do It

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• Start in an athletic stance.
• Shift bodyweight to one side, then jump forward, driving the knee of the opposite side you’re jumping off of up, and land softly on the other foot in a slight squat.
• Push off with that leg and land back on your starting leg.
• Continue alternating for 30 seconds. Do 3 sets.

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9. Calf Stretch

This stretch targets the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles, which comprise the calf. A systematic review with meta-analysis published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that calf muscle stretching increases ankle dorsiflexion.

How To Do It

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• Stand facing a wall or a steady chair with your arms straight.
• Step left leg forward, knee bent, foot flat on the floor, and extend right leg straight back, heel flat on the floor. Keep the right leg straight.
• Lean into the wall until you feel the stretch in the right calf. Hold for 30 seconds.
• Then bend the right leg at the knee and hold for 30 seconds.
• Switch legs. Do 3 sets. If your calves are tight, perform this stretch daily and up to 3 times daily.

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10. Kettlebell Calf Smash

If you can physically do it, try pulling your toes up toward the sky while keeping your ankle planted. Do you feel a stretch in your calf muscle? Unless you have A+ ankle mobility, you probably do.

“The calf muscle is one of the muscle groups that affects ankle mobility,” explains Wickham. “If the calf muscle is super tight, the ankle is going to be limited in its ability to dorsiflex.” That’s why relieving calf muscle tightness is essential to improving ankle mobility.

How To Do It

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• Sit with legs extended in front of you and a kettlebell positioned handle-up next to one leg. 
• Lift your leg and rest your calf on the kettlebell handle, just above your Achilles tendon (a few inches above your ankle).
• Think about pressing your calf down into the handle to increase the pressure. 
• Rock the muscle from side to side and up and down, massaging it on the handle. 
• For even more pressure, cross your other ankle on top of this one.
• After a few rocks in every direction, shift the kettlebell another 2 inches up your calf and repeat.
• Work your way up your entire calf before repeating on the other leg.

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Note: The kettlebell's handle may be too intense if your calf muscles are super tight. Try flopping the bell onto its side and using the rounded portion instead. You can also use a foam roller.

11. Half-Kneeling Active Stretch

“To see actual improvements in ankle mobility, you need to work on both dorsiflexion and plantarflexion,” says Wickham. As an end-range isometric stretch, this exercise does just that.

How To Do It

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• Start in a half-kneeling position, with the heel and toes of your front foot on the floor and knee positioned directly over the ankle.
• Brace your midline. Keeping the front heel on the floor, let the front knee track over the front middle toe.
• Continue shifting your knee forward until you feel a stretch at the back of your ankle.
• From this position, think about pressing down on the gas pedal of a car, HARD, contracting the muscles in your lower leg. Hold for 10 seconds.
• Relax. Keeping your front heel on the floor, consider pulling your foot off the gas pedal. Hold this stretch for 10 seconds before relaxing again.
• That’s 1 rep. Repeat for 3 total reps per side.

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Note: The first few times you try this exercise, it may feel like A LOT, and that’s normal. It’ll get easier over time! “If you need to come out of the stretch, relax, and do some ankle circles, that’s fine, but otherwise plan to do the reps back-to-back-to-back,” says Wickham.

12. Active Heel-Sitting Stretch

A better name for this stretch would be heinie-to-heel hell. “It’s a little weird,” admits Wickham, “but it works.”

How To Do It

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• Start in a tall kneeling position, with the tops of your feet kissing the floor. Sit your bum back until your cheeks are sitting on your heels.
• Press the tops of your feet into the floor (it’s normal for this to be uncomfortable!). Hold for 10 seconds… Relax.
• While squeezing your calf muscles as hard as you can, pretend to peel the tops of your feet off the floor. Hold for 10 seconds… Relax.
• That’s 1 rep. Repeat for 3 total reps.

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“You’re really going to feel this exercise in the back of your calves,” says Wickham. “If you start to cramp, just relax and get out of the position. The cramp is a sign that the muscles surrounding the ankle aren’t able to contract and relax very well… yet.”

13. Single Leg Balance

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• Stand on a flat surface with your feet shoulder-width apart. If necessary, support yourself with a chair or a wall nearby.
• Holding your arms out to your sides, stand on one foot.
• Do this daily, and try to increase the number of seconds you can keep steady on each leg.

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When you’re able to balance on one foot for 60 seconds, try the following variations: 

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• Balance with your eyes closed
• Balance with your arms at your sides
• Balance standing on an unstable surface, such as a pillow, a folded towel, or a balance disc.
• Do 1 or 2 repetitions.

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Daily Balance

You can also incorporate this exercise into your daily routine. Try standing on one foot while you brush your teeth or wait in line.

14. Standing Heel Lifts

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• Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart. If you need support, have a chair or the wall nearby.
• Lift your heels off the floor so that you’re standing on the balls of your feet.
• Slowly lower your heels to the floor. Control is vital for strengthening your muscles.
• Do 2 or 3 sets of 10 lifts each.
• You can add resistance to this exercise by holding free weights while you lift your heels.
• You can also work this exercise into your daily routine, such as washing dishes.

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15. Toe Raises And Heel Drops On A Step

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• This move is more challenging than the heel lift on the floor because it flexes the ankle more.
• Stand on the bottom step with your weight on the balls of your feet and your heels hanging off the step. 
• Use a banister for support if you need it.
• Raise up onto your toes and then slowly lower your feet, with your heels dropping below the step level.
• Do 2 or 3 sets of 10 lifts each, every other day.
• You can add resistance by holding weights while you do toe raises.

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16. Lunges (Static)

Lunges help strengthen your ankles and improve your balance. There are many types of lunges. Take it easy to start and work up to more difficult versions. Begin with a static lunge or doing lunges in place.

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• Start with one foot in front of the other, with your toes facing forward.
• Keep your back straight.
• Bend your back knee down so that it almost touches the floor.
• Then push yourself up again.
• Repeat 10 times, and do 2 sets.
• Try varying the static lunge and your leading leg. Take three steps between lunges, and alternate your forward leg.

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17. Walking Lunge

The walking lunge is more challenging. It works your core and lower body. When first trying this move, you should have a trainer or exercise professional correct your form.

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• Step forward with one leg, and bend that knee at a 90-degree angle.
• At the same time, lower the back knee to the ground. Your thigh should be almost parallel to the ground.
• Hold the position for a few seconds.
• Then take a step forward with your back leg, and repeat the lunge, leading with this leg.
• Work up to 10 lunges per leg.

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18. Ankle Jumps

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• Stand straight with your hands on your hips.
• Jump up straight without bending your knees.
• Flex your ankles and pull up your toes while you’re in the jump (dorsiflex).
• Extend your ankles back just before you touch the floor.
• Push the balls of your feet explosively into the floor, then jump again. Keep your feet on the floor for as little time as possible.
• Start with a few repetitions per set and do two or three sets. Then, work up to 25 repetitions per set.

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19. Resisted Ankle Dorsiflexion With Miniband Resistance

Tie a miniband around a heavy kettlebell and position it before a bench with your foot inside the loop. This exercise is excellent because you can perform active Dorsiflexion against the resistance or execute long-duration isometric holds. Make sure you toy around with the ankle of plantarflexion to increase the range of motion you’re moving through.

20. Leg Hops

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• Double leg hops
• Stand straight with your arms at your sides.
• Jump up straight, raising your arms as you lift.
• Repeat 10 times.

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Single Leg Hops

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• Stand straight with your arms at your sides.
• Jump up straight on one leg, raising your arms as you lift.
• Repeat 10 times.

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You can also do double-leg and single-leg hops, moving from side to side, backward, and forward.

Related Reading

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• How to Test Hip Mobility
• Shoulder Flexibility Test
• Why Are Dynamic Flexibility Tests Not Used as Often as Static Flexibility Tests?
• Why Should You Measure Your Level of Flexibility?
• How to Test Hip Mobility
• Mobility Test for Adults

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