One blog that has some good reading and good discussion is Mike Reinold’s blog. In his post on dorsiflexion and the lateral step down test, the researchers tested weight bearing and unloaded ankle motion with straight leg and bent leg options. Overuse can cause shortening of the plantar flexors, creating an indirect link to anterior knee pain and patella overload. Mike Reinhold suggested that the lateral step down test be used as a part of one’s screening process and I think that idea has merit. I think a good deep single leg squat in addition to an isolated dorsiflexion assessment will do the trick in combination, and any other additional tests can be used to further investigate dysfunction. Since all training is assessment, the more complete a program and longer you have with the athlete in a tailored program, the better the information you will get.
Carl Valle
Latest posts by Carl Valle (see all)
- Thank you EliteTrack! - September 7, 2013
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- Matt Harvey- Superman to Clark Kent - September 4, 2013
- Rotten to the Core? - August 31, 2013