In celebration of Til Luchau's upcoming "Ankle Issues" livestreamed course, Til and Whitney pulled one of their favorite ankle-related episodes (#43) out of the archives. Listen in as they geek out on ankle- and foot-related conditions, anatomy, function, biomechanics and more.

Topics include:

• How the structure of the foot/ankle complex determines function
• Are we over over-pronation yet?
• Plantar fasciitis/fasciosis, bunions, hammertoes, and other things you wouldn’t have thought of as ankle issues.

Episode Outline:

• Structure of the foot/ankle complex
  • Medial side deltoid ligament complex
  • Lateral side ATF, CF, PTF
  • How does structure govern function
  • Distal tibiofibular joint & talocrural joint form mortise & tenon
  • Primary supporting ligaments

• Mechanics of the region:
  • Talocrural motions: dorsiflexion & plantarflexion
  • Type I and type II limitations
  • Subtalar motions: inversion & eversion
  • Pronation and supination (definitions and confusion)
  • Phases of gait

• Some common issues/problems
  • Valgus and varus angulations (toes and calcaneal region)
  • “Overpronation”
  • Bunions & hammertoes
  • Plantar fasciitis
  • Tendon overuse (Achilles tendon etc.)
  • Trauma: sprains breaks
  • Nerve entrapments mimicking soft-tissue pathology (i.e. tarsal tunnel syndrome, Baxter’s neuropathy, etc.)

Resources and references discussed in this episode:

• Til Luchau’s “ANKLE Issues” livestream course (live Aug 24-25 '24, or later by recording): advanced-trainings.com/workshop/onl2408m/
• Trail Guide to Movement: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com
• Whitney Lowe’s site: AcademyOfClinicalMassage.com
• Til Luchau’s site: Advanced-Trainings.com

Podcast anatomy image from Advanced Myofascial Techniques, Volume 1. Used under license from Primal Pictures.

Sponsor Offers:

• Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
• ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
• Advanced-Trainings: try a month of the amazing A-T Subscription free by entering “thinking” at checkout at a-t.tv/subscriptions/,.
• Academy of Clinical Massage: Grab Whitney's valuable Assessment Cheat Sheet for free at: academyofclinicalmassage.com/cheatsheet

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

(The Thinking Practitioner Podcast is intended for professional practitioners of manual and movement therapies: bodywork, massage therapy, structural integration, chiropractic, myofascial and myotherapy, orthopedic, sports massage, physical therapy, osteopathy, yoga, strength and conditioning, and similar professions. It is not medical or treatment advice.)