Joint Mobilization Exercises
While seated, place a small ball under the arch of your foot and press into it while rolling it around. Use this form of self-soft tissue massage technique for the arch of the foot.
Use a frozen water bottle (plastic, no glass). In sitting or standing roll the bottom of your foot with moderate pressure. Use as much pressure as you can tolerate without discomfort.
Sit or lie down on the floor and place a small ball, such as a tennis ball or golf ball under your calf.
Now, bend at your ankle up and down. Next move your calf up and down over the ball.
Stand with your foot approximately 3 to 5 inches from the wall. Lean forward, moving your knee towards the wall. You should feel a stretch or slight strain in the ankle as your knee moves to the wall.
Tie a band or belt around a stable object. Place one foot into the band and position yourself facing away from the object with the loop of the band in the front of the ankle crease. Get into a half-kneeling position and create tension in the band. With the foot placed firmly on the ground drive the knee forward out over the foot.
Stabilize midfoot with right hand and use left hand to pull toe down as far as you can and push toe up as far as you can. Make sure you are bending at the large knuckle of the big toe (not at the smaller knuckle that is closer to the toe nail).
Take a firm grasp of your great toe and pull it straight away from your foot. While keeping this pull, bring your toe up toward your knee. Maintain the pull and return the toe back to neutral.