Flexor Hallucis Long & Ankle Mobility

We typically associate a lack of ankle mobility to muscles in the lower leg such as the gastrocnemius or soleus. But one muscle that can also impact ankle mobility is the flexor hallucis longus.

This muscle originates from the lower two-thirds of the posterior fibula an inserts into the plantar surface of the base of the first distal phalanx (big toe). This muscle is most responsible for flexion at the great (big) toe. It also assists with plantar flexion (gas pedal motion) of the ankle. When this muscle is hypertonic, it can impede the motion of dorsiflexion (toes up motion), along with the gastrocnemius and soleus (muscles responsible for going on your tip toes)

 Patients often complain of pain near their medial arch, especially with the toe off portion of walking and can easily be mis-diagnosed as plantar fasciitis.

Below is a link to a video explaining this real time with an exercise at the end of the video that you can try!


https://www.instagram.com/reel/CpRBhZGsbEJ/?igshid=MDJmNzVkMjY=


If you’re not sure if this is the right exercise for you, come in to Arlington Chiropractic for an assessment!

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