The ankle joint - if we compare it to the flagpole we discussed recently, has two particular cables that control its function; sure, there are many others in this region, but let's just consider today the movements of plantar flexion, and dorsiflection - standing on your toes, with your heels in the air, or rocking back on your heels so that your toes are elevated.
The muscles engaged here are :
the calf muscles, (gastrocnemius and soleus, and
tibialis anterior.
If you are a student, don't pressure yourself to memorise the names of muscles - study function, and performance, and the names will eventually plant themselves in your mind; for the present, if you look at an ankle joint from one side, a lateral view, the are a set of calf muscles at the rear of the ankle joint , and a single muscle at the front.
When the front muscle contracts, our toes are elevated, and we rock back on our heels; when the rear muscle(s) contract, our heel is elevated, and we are up on our toes.
Now, it is my opinion that we are more likely, in our day-to-day activities, to use calf muscles much more than we do our tibialis; as a result, an imbalance develops, and although tibialis doesn't suffer the same loss in tone, as say, triceps (as mentioned earlier this month), my point is, many people have a tendency to experience a loss of plantar flexion.
That is, when we walk, we become a little lazy about raising the toes, making us susceptible to tripping on small steps, or changes in the terrain, ( as my client did.)
If you occasionally want to walk with haste, and this is something I deliberately do, as a form of exercise, you occasionally meet uneven ground, or a set of steps. Age, and lack of deliberate tibialis exercises, put me in this category, and I experienced a few minor falls before I put some thought into the cause.
If you see me on the street, and I stumble, you will know that I once again, have neglected my Tibialis Anterior exercises !!!
