Increasing Dorsiflexion: Cuboid Mobilization

One of the most common deficits we see in our athlete in regard to ankle mobility is a loss of dorsiflexion.  While there are many potential influences, one that we find frequently is a lack of cuboid mobility.

Loss of cuboid mobility will restrict movement of the 4th and 5th metatarsals and block dorsiflexion.  Many times client may complain of midfoot or lateral foot discomfort or pressure when performing common ankle mobility drills.

If you’ve got manual therapy skills, you can alleviate the pain or pressure and restore dorsiflexion with a simple cuboid mobilization as show in this video.

If you lack manual skills, you can still get an improvement in dorsiflexion by performing a self-mobilization of the cuboid with a lacrosse ball.  Be sure to test and then retest your dorsiflexion to make sure you’re mobilizing the cuboid effectively.

Let me know how it works for you.

Bill