Lower Limb Freedom

Joint by Joint approach to easier movement: Lower Limb

All of the human bodies’ systems are set up in a brilliantly logical way, none more so than the Musculoskeletal (muscles and bones) System. Each part of the system is connected, via fascia (like an internal skin), to other parts of the system. Put simply, each joint is either built to be mobile or stable, when this function is impaired it affects other parts of the system. We will now look at the major parts and see how we can regain/maintain function so the whole system works in unity. To begin, we will work from the ground up….

Ankles (MOBILE)

Try something for me. Hold your right leg up with a bent knee (you can use hands to hold if need be) and perform 10 ankle circles both anticlockwise & clockwise. Did you notice that it was easier to go one way than the other? Repeat with the left leg. Was it easier to do with the right or left? If one leg was easier it could be that you have a weakness or imbalance on that side.

When we look at these muscles, we look at those on the front and those on the back (Calves and Shin muscles). The most common issues I’ve seen in practice is the chronic tightening (shortening) of the calf muscles. It is usually through wearing footwear with an elevated heel (i.e. high heels, etc.). Since the feet are designed to work in a smooth heel to toe action across the ground, an elevated heel puts the foot in an unnatural position. As long as you understand the impact of wearing these types of footwear and do the necessary things to re-balance the ankle, long term ankle health will not be too severely impacted.

When the calves are tight (shortened) the muscles of the front become lengthened and potentially weakened. This means that the movement of the toes towards the upper body is impaired, as range of motion is compromised thus causing the ankle joint to become less mobile. When the ankle joint lacks mobility, the body tries to gain mobility by using muscles further up the chain (i.e. the knee). Before we look at the knee, lets look at strategies to help redress the balance:

1. Be barefoot as much as possible – seems obvious but it’s really important! Even at your desk you can, if allowed, remove your shoes. Curl your toes, perform ankle rotations and, if you can walk, a few paces on the spot. Even doing this for a few minutes will have a positive impact on your ankles.

2. Tennis ball massage – simply push a tennis ball into the calf (go easy, it can be very sensitive!) running up and down from ankle to back of knee. Do this for a minute or so as often as you can.

3. Massage – a good masseuse will be able to release a lot of tension a lot quicker than doing it yourself. Be prepared for a little pain as they unwind the knots. They should also work on the soles of your feet, as a lot of muscles attach there.

Knees (STABLE)

Here we have 2 simple tests to check the muscles around the knee. Stand up for me, feet in line with your hips. Now raise the heel of your right leg towards your bottom, keeping your knees in line with each other. How close did your heel get to your bottom? Repeat on the other leg. Did one heel go further?

Now for the Active Knee Extension test. Lie down on your back, bend your hip to 90 degrees with your knee pointing towards the ceiling. Now extend you foot towards the ceiling as far as is comfortable, trying to straighten your leg. Repeat on the other leg.

If you found that your heel didn’t manage to touch your bottom, you are likely to have tight muscles on the front of the thigh. On the other test, if you found that you couldn’t fully straighten your leg fully, the likelihood is that you have tight hamstrings.

When we look at the musculature around the knee we can see that the hamstrings run from the hip and attach below the knee. When we sit down for extended periods, our knees are generally flexed to 90 degrees, bringing the lower leg closer to the hip. This chronically shortens the hamstrings. When the hamstrings are chronically tight, the muscles on the front of the thigh become stretched too long.

Help your knees:

1. Stretch while sat down – This can be at your desk or on your sofa at home. Simply straighten one of your legs out in front of you with heel on the ground. Fold forward at the hips keeping a straight spine (Try to touch your toes without slouching). Repeat on other leg. Try to do this for 10-20 seconds on each leg after you’ve been sat down for more that 20 minutes.

2. Perform a wall sit – With your back against a wall, bend your knees to 90 degrees (like sitting in a chair). Hold this position for up to 45 seconds. This exercise tells the muscles on the front of the thigh that they need to work in order to help the hamstrings stop becoming too tight. Do this once or twice per day (you’ll certainly feel it in the front of your thighs).

Hips (MOBILE)

The hips are, for me, the most used but least cared for part of human anatomy. They are an incredible feat of engineering! Their function is to support the weight of the body, both when standing and through movement of the legs.

Think back at the number of times you’re hips have been involved in a movement today. It could be when you stood up, leaned forward to grab the remote control or even when you shuffled from foot to foot when standing in a queue. I did this the other day and lost count!

When we look at the anatomy of the hips you can see that there are several muscles on the front and back, all working with the femur (thigh bone) and pelvis.

The most common cause of lack of hip mobility I’ve come across is an overactive, and therefore tight, hip flexor (Psoas Major). As the name implies, this muscle flexes the hip i.e. brings your upper body towards your thighs. The muscle itself is a very strong muscle and is used in the forward phase of walking/running. As you can see it attaches onto the spine. When this muscle is chronically tight/short it causes strain on the lower back, as it pulls on the spine causing excessive curvature (generally). When this happens the other muscles of the hips have to compensate by either becoming tight themselves or by completely switching off by becoming elongated.

In general, the Gluteal (muscles of the bottom) cease to work properly. The Gluteal muscles (Maximus, Medius and Minimus) all attach onto the thigh bone so directly influence the mobility of the joint. So, to regain function to the joint we need to stretch the hip flexors and activate the glutes.

1. Hip Flexor Stretch – The most effective method for stretching is the Contract/Relax method. For this stretch you may need something stable to hold onto to help you balance. Kneel on one knee (like you’re proposing to someone!) but take your front foot a little further forward. Making sure hips face forward, gently allow them to move forward until you feel a stretch on the hip on the kneeling leg. Now activate the glute on the kneeling leg (you’ll notice that your hip moves slightly forward), hold for 10 seconds and then relax allowing your hip to move forward on its own accord. Repeat on the other side. If you spend a lot time seated, I’d do this 2-3 times per day.

2. Bridges – Lie on your back with legs bent (so feet are flat on the floor). Bring your heels as close as you can to your buttocks). All we are going to do is lift our bottom off the floor, towards the ceiling by really activating the gluteal muscles (you want your thigh and torso to be in a straight line. Return to start position. Do this movement slowly for 10-15 repetitions.

This concludes the lower limb joint by joint approach to easier movement. In a later article, we’ll look at the upper limbs. In the meantime, check out my Facebook page for videos of the exercises and stretches. Alternatively, post a comment on this post asking for specific exercises or stretches and I’ll put up links to videos.