Ankle Flexibility Imbalance

[[old] Montclair Vagabond]

I was born with club foot on my left side, which I believe explains a noticeable difference in ankle flexibility between the right and left. Basically I can get much more of an acute angle between shin and top of foot on my right side than my left. I started rowing a couple weeks ago and have noticed this imbalance on the catch, finding that my right calf presses up against my right hamstring more so than the left side unless i consciously try to keep both sides in step. Am I on the right track here in limiting my right side's bend? Has this issue ever been addressed before? Thanks.

[[old] schweinlew]

MV,<br /><br />I have a similar problem stemming from an ankle I broke 20 years ago. I could not get even compression at the catch, was getting very uneven leg drive, and was losing a lot of pressure from the affected leg as a result. The affected leg and heel were bobbing up higher at the catch, so much so that the broken-ankle leg was not contributing much to the first part of the drive.<br /><br />I went to the orthopedic surgeon in May and asked him to fix it. He said that operating on an ankle is very risky and sent me to the physical therapist. The PT put me on a stretching, exercise and balance regimen.<br /><br />At the same time I wondered whether I could get more power with less than full compression, given that I could not get a good drive with full compression. So, I started an experiment by trying to compress/catch only as far as I could go with both heels still on the stretcher. <br /><br />Finally, I had added slides to my erg, which caused me to strengthen my shin muscled in order to keep my heels down.<br /><br />I noticed that after working out with "flat-feet" on slides and doing the PT exercises for about 2 months that I could get full (vertical shin) compression while keeping both heels down. (Having a mirror facing the side of the rower helped a lot.) And, I am getting much better power, i.e. am able to sustain lower splits longer with much lower ratings.<br /><br />Now, was it the PT exercises, flat feet, slides or some interaction of all three? I am afraid that I confounded my little experiment and cannot really say. I'd like to think it was all of the above. <br /><br />If you find any method or treatment that helps, please let me know.<br /><br />Will

[[old] Montclair Vagabond]

Thanks for the response! While my left ankle has undoubtedly suffered some permanent effects from being born with club foot, I'm sure that stretching could help, at least a little. I've tried it in the past, doing calf stretches, but always gave up too soon, feeling that I didn't know what I was doing. Can you tell me what specific stretches your therapist had you do?<br /><br />Also, as to keeping feet flat on the stretcher, without having tried it yet, that seems almost impossible! Even with my good right foot, the heel bends up a little on the recovery into the catch. Can you elaborate on this a little?

[[old] schweinlew]

Montclair,<br /><br />I have been doing both straight- and bent-leg calf-stretches against a wall. Only put mild tension, not pain, on your calf and hold it for about 30 sec. Do both calves individually, twice per session, two sessions per day (AM and PM). I also started working more on hamstring stretching (toe-touching).<br /><br />The heels-down thing was just an experiment that worked - serendipitously. I must say that I got the idea from one of Xeno's videos in which he described 3/4 slide rowing (Thanks again, Xeno). Try recovering only as far as you can with your heels still on the stretcher. It may not be far, i.e. only 1/4 or 1/2 slide. However, work out at low rating (UT1 or UT2) with that constraint (heels down) and see if you get more power over time. As your calves warm up they should loosen and allow greater compression at the catch. At least that's what mine does.<br /><br />Let me know if you find anything helpful. I've heard of great rowers with unequal-length legs and other things. However, I've never heard of the ankle flexibility problem we seem to share.<br /><br />Will<br /><br /><!--QuoteBegin-Montclair Vagabond+Oct 18 2005, 06:45 AM--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE(Montclair Vagabond @ Oct 18 2005, 06:45 AM)</b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'><!--QuoteEBegin-->Thanks for the response!  While my left ankle has undoubtedly suffered some permanent effects from being born with club foot, I'm sure that stretching could help, at least a little.  I've tried it in the past, doing calf stretches, but always gave up too soon, feeling that I didn't know what I was doing.  Can you tell me what specific stretches your therapist had you do?<br /><br />Also, as to keeping feet flat on the stretcher,  without having tried it yet, that seems almost impossible!  Even with my good right foot, the heel bends up a little on the recovery into the catch.  Can you elaborate on this a little? <br /> </td></tr></table><br />

[[old] Alissa]

Dear Montclair and Will,<br /><br />I’ve been reading your correspondence with interest, since I also have one ankle with significantly greater flexion than the other (probably as the result of a couple of sprains—one fairly severe). I should note that for me, the range of motion for each ankle is about the same, however one has greater extension and the other greater flexion. The result is, as you describe it, that <!--QuoteBegin-Montclair Vagabond+Oct 16 2005, 05:58 AM--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE(Montclair Vagabond @ Oct 16 2005, 05:58 AM)</b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'><!--QuoteEBegin--> I can get much more of an acute angle between shin and top of foot[right] <br /> </td></tr></table><br />with one than the other. However that isn’t something that I’ve identified as a problem in my rowing. I’ve been trying to sort out (in my own mind) why it’s not a problem for me ever since I starting reading this thread, and thought you might find some of my ruminations of interest:<br /><br />1. Montclair, you said that you have an imbalance unless you: <!--QuoteBegin--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE</b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'><!--QuoteEBegin--> consciously try to keep both sides in step...limiting my right side's bend </td></tr></table> and asked if you are on the right track here in limiting your right side's bend. I think you probably are, but suspect you might want to think about it a little differently. If you don’t “limit the right side’s bend,” what happens to your pelvis? I’m guessing (if your legs are of equal length) that it might not stay stable and square to the front of the erg (considering both the left/right and forward/backward axes of movement). That is, that the pelvis might rotate forward (either on a left/right axis or a forward/backward axis) on the side where the ankle has more flexion. If that’s the case, you might be better focusing on maintaining the squared-up orientation of the pelvis—that may take care of the imbalance of the ankles w/out the focus being on the ankle and the need to try to match the amount of flexion you allow in your more flexible ankle to that in your more restricted ankle (which sound hard to me...). I suspect that’s been why it hasn’t been an issue for me. (I note that if you allow your pelvis to rotate to accommodate your ankle, that you might be further compensating in your back, in order to keep your shoulders square to the erg. If so, I wonder if that might ultimately lead to imbalanced muscles in your back and potentially back pain as well?)<br /><br />2. Will, did your PT identify any pelvic instability or imbalance related to your ankle issues? You said that your PT put you: <!--QuoteBegin--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE</b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'><!--QuoteEBegin--> on a stretching, exercise and balance regimen. </td></tr></table> Was the balance portion of the regime focused on balancing left to right? or the standing on one leg sort of balance? Just curious.<br /><br />3. For myself, I’ve been focused on maintaining core/torso stability for other reasons, which is why I suspect my variance in ankle flexion range has not been an issue…<br /><br />4. Will, you asked Montclair to let you know if he found “a method or treatment that helps.” I have been doing Pilates exercises for over six years, and think a number of the exercises might have (in retrospect) been useful in preparing me to avoid the problem you’ve both described. For instance, the tendon stretch on a reformer (seen here) <img src='http://www.golfpilates.com/Golf_Pilates ... tretch.gif' border='0' alt='user posted image' />, is a lovely stretch for both the calves & tendons (note that this example seems to be moving a little fast if stretch, rather than foot/ankle strength is the focus…think of holding the heels in the dropped ankle position, coming up keeping the ankles strong and stable over the foot and dropping then back into the stretch). Other portions of what’s generally called the “footwork” also address those issues. Note that the reformer has heavy springs of varying resistance that connect the end of the reformer where the footbar is with the moving platform the exerciser is lying on, so that one must work to move the platform away from the footbar. <br /><br />5. Learning to press equally, without regard to leg length, can be learned by using a reformer, knees bent (in generally this position: <img src='http://www.pilates4life.com/images/jl/jlFootwork.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' />, but with the toes of one foot on the footbar and the ankle extended (as if the foot were wearing a very high high-heeled shoe) and the heels of the other on the footbar, feet hip-width apart. With the feet in that orientation, practicing using similar pressure to extend the knees. You’ll note that the leg whose foot is in the high-heels position cannot be fully extended, so the calf muscle is not relaxed at all (cramping is a real posibility). By working in this unstable position, one strenthens the calves, and learns what imbalance feels like—it’s easier to avoid ir if you learn what it feels like… <br /><br />Similarly, the ability to hold the pelvis stable & the back straight and to develop strength and control over the “powerhouse” (in pilates-speak, the torso from sternum down, the hips/pelvis, lower back & the upper thighs) is a focus of pilates work. It seems to me that a series of pilates exercises, called “stomach massage”, (Stills from a couple of them are below) might be particularly appropriate. The entire series starts in the same way: One sits up straight, with feet on the foot bar, knees bent (note that in some cases, the foot position may vary slightly, sometimes parallel feet and other times, with a slight “turn-out”). <br />In the first exercise, you grasp the footbar with hands outside your feet throughout the exercise, you begin by extending the legs, holding on with the hands, and allow the back to round as you stretch forward. Then recover to a bent leg position and repeat. Note that if needed, the stretch can be intensified dropping the heels (a la the tendon stretch). <br /><br />In the second, everything is the same, except you do not allow the back to round as you stretch forward, instead, you pivot forward from the hip (maintaining an upright posture) and the stretch is more focused in the hamstring. The pivot from the hip (which is assisted by the hand grasp) seems to me to directly correlate with the movements required when starting the recovery in rowing. <br /> <br />In the third, the hands are raised (giving up the assistance the hand grasp provides in the first two exercises in the series) and the back stays straight (no pivot from the hips here) & the pelvis stays stable throughout. Again, one extends the legs (dropping the heels if desired for intensity) while maintaining an upright posture. Again the control of torso/pelvis and back seem to me directly comparable to that required by rowing. Here’s an image of a woman in the extended position of this exercise. <img src='http://www.pilates-bodymotion.de/Teiler ... web_kl.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' /> Note that as she bends her knees and comes toward the footbar, that her body will stay in exactly the same position (although she may have dropped her heels below the bar to increase the intensity).<br /><br />In the fourth, the arms are again at shoulder height, but start facing forward. As one extends the legs, one arm leads a torso twist to the side—while maintaining a stable pelvis!(as seen in the photo), then returns to the starting position: <img src='http://www.pilatespersonaltraining.com/ ... _small.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' />, again in the extended position). Note that all of the rotation of the twist is centered around the spine and is above the pelvis which doesn’t move at all, left to right. This is the most difficult of the series, and in usually assisted, in the beginning, by someone holding the hand that stays forward. <br /><br />Finally, some Pilates practitioners use what’s called a “clinical reformer” (intended to be appropriate for a clinical setting, like a PT’s office) with what’s called a “proprioception t-bar” <img src='http://www.pilates.com/image/clinical/clintbar.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' />, which looks like it might be useful if you decide to try Pilates--the description at the bottom of <a href='http://www.pilates.com/clinicalref.html' target='_blank'>this page</a> furthers that impression. Balanced Body (NAYY) sells that piece of equipment, and I think helps people find studios that own their equipment. <br /><br />HTH, and good luck w/ your ankles!<br /><br />Alissa

[[old] Montclair Vagabond]

Alissa, that seems like excellent analysis of the ramifications of not keeping an equal bend on both sides. While I don't have access to pilates machines, I am going to refocus on stretching my ankle and calf (and hamstrings), and use less compression for the time being in my rowing. Thank you very much for your insight!!