Massage Your Ankles and Strengthen Your Bones with this Ankle Stretch!

This month’s Stretch of the Month, the kneel stretch, is demonstrated by Tuina practitioner Hazel. It’s another great stretch for those needing to work and massage the tendons and ligaments in their legs, ankles and feet.

How to Do the Kneel Stretch

Sit back on your ankles (kneel) on the floor, and gently move left and right to massage the tendons and ligaments that are touching the floor.

If sitting all the way back is difficult for you, you can slightly sit up, lifting your bottom away from your calves. For this stretch of the month, massaging the lower leg, ankles and feet against the floor is the most important part. Do as originally instructed and move sideways.

The next part of the kneel stretch is to tuck your toes underneath to get more of a stretch. Again, if it’s too intense for you, feel free to lift yourself up and keep your feet in the same position. You can also use your arms to support you, by putting your hands on the floor in front of you. If you opt for this position, you can gently kick your feet up and down against the floor to get some more movement, then return to your original stretching position.

What are the Benefits of the Kneel Stretch?

The kneel stretch is especially beneficial for strengthening and releasing tension around the ankles, and its surrounding ligaments and tendons. Our ankles are linked to our necks, so this can also target any issues in the neck area.

Hazel is available for appointments at the Kentish Town clinic. To find out more about what an treatment with Hazel will be like, click here.

To see previous stretch of the month features, visit our Instagram and TikTok – don’t forget to save them for later!