Assessing the Foot and Ankle

“Everything you need to know is on your body if you know how to listen to it”

– Lenny Parracino (Manual and Soft tissue Therapist).

With my work as a Movement & Strength Therapist I realize how much of an impact our foot imbalances affect our body and movement patterns. The foot and ankle serve as the primary interface between the ground and the body during motion. Together the foot and ankle determine in what efficiency all the above lying muscles will work. Walking, running, squatting, lunging, so many exercises and type of movements begin right at the feet.

After watching a lecture by Lenny on assessing the foot and ankle, I wanted to share the importance of keeping your feet and ankles strong and healthy!

So how do we assess the foot and ankle?

As professionals we want to take a look at your foot and ankle in every possible position. In weight bearing and non-weight bearing. We want to establish a baseline for each individual.

First we take a look at the structure of the foot in a non-weight bearing position. A good example would be to stand and place one knee on a chair and have the foot hanging off the chair. Wiggle the foot around a little and let it fall into its natural state. This gives the professional a chance to see whether the client’s foot and ankle structure is Everted, Neutral or Inverted.

Next, would be to look at the foot in a weight bearing position. The client stands and wiggles their hips around and then relax. In this position we can look at the forefoot alignment. There are three alignments our feet fall under Valgus, Neutral and Varus.

Valgus; Forefoot everted on rearfoot

Neutral; Forefoot perpendicular to rearfoot

Varus; Forefoot inverted on rearfoot.

Next, we would look at walking gait pattern and a balance reach test. This will show the professional any of the imbalances of the foot and ankle create on the lower leg, upper leg and hip. Being able to assess these patterns will help create a program catered to the individual’s needs.

This picture illustrates an example of balance reach tests:

Assessment of the foot and ankle complex gives me valuable information about a client’s baseline and we take all the information from each assessment individualize programs for optimized results.

Healthy feet, healthy movement!

by Stephanie Allesandri

Movement Therapist at Balans.