Let’s first talk about anatomy to get a better understanding of how we can improve ankle mobility.
The ankle joint is made by the tibia and fibula sitting on the talus bone creating the talocrural joint.
That is where knee-over-toe ankle mobility is going to take place which is what most people need to improve for squatting, lunging, going downstairs, etc.
One key area that needs to “unlock” is the mid-foot and specifically, a certain amount of pronation (flattening of the arch) needs to take place to maximize the mechanics of the ankle (talocrural) joint. So, as your knee travels over your foot (into dorsiflexion), the mid-foot needs to flatten out a bit especially if you have a high arch (supinated mid-foot). Some individuals will have a rigid (immobile) mid-foot that will impact the ankle’s ability to dorsiflex and create an appropriate knee-over-toe range of motion. This can be confusing and everyone’s ankle/foot type and mobility can be different so different treatment is needed but here is a list of soft tissue and mobility exercises that may help your ankle range of motion:
1) Lax ball self-myofascial release to the bottom of the foot (1-2 minutes)