---
date: 2026-09-13
type: health
tags: [health, mobility, ankle, dorsiflexion]
---

# Mobility — Ankle Dorsiflexion

> The gate is ankle dorsiflexion. Both ankles fail the 10 cm screen, the left is the weak link — and the left is the side that broke down on Sep 13.

## Baseline — knee-to-wall test (2026-09-13)

Heel flat, knee driven forward over the second toe, measured big toe → wall. Clinical screen: **10 cm**.

| Side | Distance | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| Right | 6 cm | Restricted |
| **Left** | **4 cm** | **Significantly restricted** |

- **2 cm asymmetry, left worse** — and the left is the ankle that failed at ~2 km on week 2's Sunday long run.
- Consistent with the log: bilateral calf/achilles tightness on the first 2–3 km of three consecutive runs (Sep 6, 9, 10) *before* anything actually hurt.
- Still to test: repeat with the **knee bent** (heel down). Straight-knee worse → gastroc. Bent-knee worse → soleus. Changes drill emphasis only, not the plan.
- Also untested: **front-pinch test** — if the restriction feels like a hard pinch at the front of the ankle rather than a stretch, part of it is a joint block, not muscle.

## Why this is the root cause, not a side quest

- A big calf is not a long calf — hypertrophy and length are separate qualities.
- The front of the leg (tibialis anterior) is likely **overloaded rather than tight**: it stabilises an ankle that can't move. Stretching it does little; letting the back lengthen is the fix.
- Flat feet + limited dorsiflexion = the foot overpronates harder and the peroneal tendons absorb every landing. Hours of jumping in flat shoes is what finally collected the bill.

## The floor — 10 min daily, after morning coffee

| # | Drill | Dose |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Knee-to-wall mobilisation | 2×12/side, heel glued down — **left gets an extra set** |
| 2 | Gastroc stretch (knee straight) | 2×45 s/side |
| 3 | Soleus stretch (knee bent) | 2×45 s/side |
| 4 | Eccentric heel raises (3 s down) | 2×10 — off a step once pain-free |
| 5 | Squat with heels elevated | Keep it. Lower the wedge progressively (book → thinner book → flat) |

- Start with the **back** of the leg. No aggressive range work on the peroneal side until walking is limp-free *and* single-leg heel raises are pain-free.
- Ankle circles: pain-free range only while the left outer ankle is still sore.
- The heels-elevated squat is not cheating — it loads the range that exists and trains the peroneal. Progress = lowering the wedge, not dropping the lift.

## Targets & timeline

- Goal: **9–10 cm both sides**, asymmetry under 1 cm.
- Realistic rate: ~1 cm per 2–3 weeks of daily work; 6–8 weeks to a flat-footed squat. Early gains (joint capsule / neural) come fastest.
- Re-test **every Sunday morning**, same protocol, log both numbers in the run note. This is the mobility equivalent of pace — effort in, number out.

## Escalation flags

- Hard pinch at the front of the ankle, no change after 6–8 weeks of consistent work → joint block, physio.
- Any return of point-pain at the lateral malleolus during running → stop, re-test weight-bearing before the next run.

## Incident history

- **2026-09-13 (Sun)** — week 2 long run stopped at ~2 km. Preceded by a Friday concert (flat shoes, hours of jumping/dancing, alcohol, bed after 3 am) and a Saturday of left lateral-ankle ache that only hurt at rest. Run: HR never reached 150 (deliberately slow), both calves tight first, then left lower-leg tightness + left lateral malleolus pain; walked home with a half-leg limp. Pain halved after 15 min sitting — soft tissue, not bone. **Working hypothesis:** peroneal (fibularis) tendon irritation on an ankle with only 4 cm of dorsiflexion, i.e. the range deficit is the upstream cause.
- **2026-09-06 / 09-09 / 09-10** — bilateral calf–achilles tightness for the first 2–3 km, resolving mid-run. The warm-up signature of the same restriction.

## Connected

- [[Half-marathon-plan]]
- [[Health/2026-05-28-labor]]
- [[Health/supplements]]