Why Ankle Mobility Matters for Runners
The Foundation of Every Stride
Every step a runner takes starts and ends at the foot. Your ankle and big toe are the first points of contact and the final push-off drivers. If those joints can’t move properly, your body compensates—often at the knee, hip, or pelvis. Over time, these compensations lead to inefficiencies, fatigue, and injury.
Ankle mobility—particularly closed-chain dorsiflexion, or the ability for the shin to move forward over a planted foot—is one of the most overlooked components of efficient running form.
How Much Mobility Do You Need?
Research and clinical experience suggest that runners should have:
- At least 10–12° of closed-chain ankle dorsiflexion, and
- Roughly 30° of great toe (big toe) extension in a closed-chain position (foot planted).
This allows your body to absorb impact, store elastic energy, and generate efficient propulsion during push-off.
If either joint is stiff, your body will find other ways to move—usually by collapsing inward at the arch, overstriding, or rotating through the knee and hip—all of which can create stress elsewhere in the chain and cause injuries such as:
✅Plantar fasciitis
✅Runners knee
✅ITB pain
✅Hip pain
What the Research Says
A 2023 study published in Frontiers in Neurology examined how peak ankle dorsiflexion affects lower extremity and pelvic biomechanics during walking and jogging. The results highlight just how critical this motion is:
- Participants with
less than ~10° of ankle dorsiflexion showed
reduced hip extension,
altered pelvic motion, and
increased external knee rotation during both walking and jogging.
- Those same runners also demonstrated a
smaller plantarflexion moment and
decreased anterior ground reaction force, which the authors noted can “limit forward propulsion and overall running efficiency.”
- The researchers concluded that
restricted ankle dorsiflexion affects the entire kinetic chain, influencing the way force is transferred through the lower body and pelvis.
In other words, a stiff ankle doesn’t just affect the foot—it changes how you move from the ground up.
🦶The Role of the Big Toe
Just as the ankle allows forward motion, the big toe provides stability and propulsion. During the push-off phase, the big toe should extend about 30° in closed chain. Limited motion here can shift pressure toward the smaller toes or plantar fascia, increasing the risk of forefoot pain, plantar fasciitis, and inefficient push-off mechanics. So if you lack ankle mobility AND big toe mobility you are at a greater risk of injury!
Why Runners Need Strong and Mobile Ankles
1. Improved Shock Absorption
With adequate dorsiflexion, your ankle can move smoothly through midstance, allowing the calf–Achilles complex to load and release like a spring.
2. Enhanced Propulsion and Stride Efficiency
The Frontiers study showed that limited dorsiflexion reduces the anterior ground reaction force and plantarflexion moment—two critical factors for strong, efficient push-off.
3. Better Alignment Up the Chain
Less ankle mobility = more compensation at the knee and hip. Runners with restricted dorsiflexion often show greater external knee rotation and reduced hip extension, which can alter stride length and stability.
4. Reduced Injury Risk
Poor ankle mobility can contribute to injuries such as Achilles tendinopathy, plantar fasciitis, shin splints, IT band pain, and even hip or low-back discomfort due to faulty load transfer.
How to Test Your Mobility
Ankle Dorsiflexion (Half-Kneeling Test) - Click here:
- Start in a half-kneeling position with your front foot about four fingers from a wall.
- Keeping your heel down, drive your knee toward the wall.
If your knee touches the wall without your heel lifting, you likely have ≥10° of dorsiflexion.
Big Toe Extension Test (Click here):
- Start in a half-kneeling position with your front foot about four fingers from a wall.
- Keeping your heel down, drive your knee toward the wall putting your ankle in a flexed position
- Try to lift up your big toe while your ankle is flexed. You should see about 30° of motion at the big toe joint.
How to Improve Mobility
- Three Way Ankle Rocks in half-kneeling to increase dorsiflexion.
- Calf stretches (both straight and
bent knee).
- Big toe mobilizations
- Eccentric calf strengthening to reinforce control through new range. Performing these Two heels up, one heel down exercises will help with increasing your eccentric strength
The Takeaway
Limited ankle dorsiflexion—anything below 10°—has been shown to change how runners move, decreasing propulsion, altering hip and pelvic motion, and increasing joint stress. Combine that with poor big toe mobility, and your body is forced to compensate.
At Move with Meg, I help runners identify mobility restrictions, build functional strength, and retrain their stride so they can move efficiently, prevent injury, and run stronger for longer.
📩Email Meg at
Meg@movewithmegpt.com to schedule your appointment now.
Meg Pezzino, PT, DPT, SCS, is a board-certified sports specialist and running-focused physical therapist based in the DMV. Through her practice, Move With Meg Physical Therapy, she helps runners prevent injuries, improve strength, and move with confidence.
🦶🏃♀️
Tight ankles holding you back?
Your stride starts from the ground up — and limited ankle or big toe mobility could be silently stealing your speed, efficiency, and even causing pain.
In my latest blog, “Why Ankle Mobility Matters for Runners,” I break down how much motion you really need, what the research says, and how to test (and fix!) your own mobility.
Whether you’re recovering from an injury or chasing a new PR, this one’s worth the read.
👇
Read more:
https://www.movewithmegpt.com/blog
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