Ankle Dorsiflexion: Why is Ankle Dorsiflexion a metric on the AMI?

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Ankle Dorsiflexion and the AMI

 

Our sales team is regularly asked: why is ankle dorsiflexion in the AMI? To this, dorsaVi reply: why would you not look at the ankle?

Our AMI uses a criterion-based approach to measure the foot and ankle, the knee and the hip. The reason we prioritize looking at ankle DF is because we recognize that when we look at an athlete’s lower extremities, we are looking at a chain. The ankle is a key component of that the chain and if you remove that link, then it will be compensated for elsewhere (typically in the knee or hip).

 

Why is the ankle important?

 

If an athlete lacks dorsiflexion, for example on the left side, and then they perform a bilateral squat, they will shift their weight to the right side in order to get down to the required depth. When the athlete shifts to the right during their squat, the ankle dorsiflexion on the right leg is going to be increased and the dorsiflexion on the left side will be less.

If the athlete has a lateral shift when performing a bilateral squat, the clinician has to determine whether that is the result of a limited range of motion at the ankle joint or if that is a trained or learned motor pattern?

•        If it is a learned motor pattern, then the clinician can prescribe exercises to correct it.

•        If you have a lateral shift, is there something that is causing it?

•        By using dorsaVi’s AMI, a clinician can measure the athlete’s ankle dorsiflexion and use that information as a tool for injury prevention.

 After an injury, many athletes compensate by not squatting as deep (especially in Single Leg activities). It is likely that they are apprehensive about squatting deep because they are fearful. 

•        The question becomes: are they not squatting deep enough because they don’t have the ankle range of motion? And could that be why they injured themselves in the first place?

•        If someone is modifying that motion during an athletic endeavour and the athlete is not distributing their weight evenly, it can be extremely detrimental to the athlete’s welfare. Yet another reason why ankle dorsiflexion is an important metric on the AMI.


AMI Ankle Lunge Test - Sample Report










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