Slant boards have become popular over the past few years, especially with the emergence of the knees over toes guy. The slant board in rehab and training has traditionally been used for calf stretching, but it can be used for a wide range of exercises.

The angle of a slant board puts the ankle joint at an angle that allows an individual to squat to a greater depth in addition to performing strengthening exercises that an individual may not be able to perform without the slant board due to ankle mobility deficits.

A few examples of when I like to use the slant board for other than stretching exercises:

1) If someone is experiencing ankle, knee or hip pain and the slant board decreases their pain with squatting, then it can be a good alternative to regular squats

2) Tendon pathology - patellar or quadricep tendonitis/tendonosis; if an individual is experiencing a tendon issue, one of the best strategies to address it is gradually load the tendon and altering variables long the way (load, reps, sets, tempo, frequency). The slant board puts greater emphasis on the anterior chain due to the shift in body weight from the angle of the board which will target the patellar and quadricep tendons.

Again, the slant board isn’t for everyone but I believe it’s a great tool to use for other than stretching exercises.

Questions? Let us know! Have a great weekend!

Perspective Physical Therapy and Performance