7 Ankle and foot mobility exercises for runners.

7 Ankle and foot mobility exercises for runners.

Are you prioritising strength sessions and racking up running miles, but overlooking the basics—your joint mobility?

If you feel stuck in a frustrating cycle of recurring injuries, or you can’t seem to fully resolve a niggle despite doing all the “right” rehab exercises, the missing link may not be strength. It may be mobility. In this blog running specialist physio Sally Fawcett discusses why mobility is important and shows you seven exercises to address mobility issues in your feet and ankles.

The Mobility–Injury Connection

Strength is essential—but strength built on restricted joints often leads to overload elsewhere in the body. When a joint can’t move through its full range, the stress is simply redirected to the next available structure.

Here are some common examples we see in clinic:

Anterior Knee Pain & Limited Ankle Dorsiflexion

Struggling with pain at the front of the knee?

Limited ankle dorsiflexion (the ability to bring your knee forward over your toes) can block depth in movements like squats and lunges. When the ankle can’t move, extra force is transferred through the front of the knee—particularly into the kneecap and patellar tendon.

Now multiply that by thousands of running strides.

Over time, this repeated overload can contribute to knee cap or patellar tendon irritation. Strengthening alone won’t solve the issue if the ankle joint remains stiff.

Persistent Achilles Tendon Problems

Doing your heel raises and eccentric drops but still not improving?

If the ankle joint itself is stiff, you may not be moving through full range during these exercises. That means the Achilles tendon never glides and loads evenly. Instead, the same portion of the tendon is stressed repeatedly—limiting recovery and perpetuating irritation.

Without restoring ankle mobility, rehab can plateau.

Shin Pain & Foot Stiffness

Recurring shin pain?

Stiff toes and restricted midfoot mobility reduce your foot’s ability to absorb load. With every stride or movement like a reverse lunge, force transfers upward to the ankle, tibia, and anterior shin muscles.

Over time, this can contribute to overload in the shin or ankle structures.

Sometimes the problem isn’t where the pain is—it’s where the stiffness is.

Lack of “Spring” in Running & Plyometrics

If your stride feels flat or your plyometric work lacks explosiveness, ask yourself:

Are your feet and ankles moving freely at ground contact?

If the first point of contact is stiff, you lose elastic recoil. By restoring mobility in the foot and ankle complex, you give the larger leg muscles the capacity to generate and release force effectively—whether that’s pushing off in a sprint, bounding over trail terrain, or springing into a jump.

Mobility First. Then Strength.

Mobility creates the foundation for efficient movement. Strength built on top of good joint range is more effective, more powerful, and more resilient.

Before adding more load, more mileage, or more intensity, it’s worth asking:

Do my joints have the range they need to do the job I’m asking of them?

If you suspect ankle and foot mobility could be contributing to your symptoms—or you simply want to future-proof your running and training—start by addressing it directly.

Have a go at these seven ankle and foot mobility exercises and see how your movement feels afterwards. You may be surprised how much freer, lighter, and more powerful your stride becomes when the foundations are working properly.

Sometimes, the key to breaking the injury cycle isn’t doing more—it’s moving better.