Where should resistance be applied during ankle dorsiflexion MMT?

Where should resistance be applied during ankle dorsiflexion MMT?

• A. Dorsum of the foot
• B. Plantar surface of the foot
• C. Calf
• D. Ankle joint anterior near the shin

Answer: (A)

When testing ankle dorsiflexion, you want to challenge the muscles that lift the foot toward the shin (primarily the tibialis anterior) and resist them in the direction opposite the movement. Applying resistance to the dorsum of the foot accomplishes this by pushing the foot into plantarflexion, so the patient must recruit dorsiflexors to hold or move against the force. The top surface is the correct lever to engage the dorsiflexors specifically and to minimize substitution from other muscles. Placing resistance on the plantar surface would push the foot toward plantarflexion in the wrong way, not effectively oppose the dorsiflexion, and applying resistance near the calf or at the shin wouldn’t provide the proper line of pull to isolate those muscles. Hence, the dorsum of the foot is the proper site for resistance in this test.

When testing ankle dorsiflexion, you want to challenge the muscles that lift the foot toward the shin (primarily the tibialis anterior) and resist them in the direction opposite the movement. Applying resistance to the dorsum of the foot accomplishes this by pushing the foot into plantarflexion, so the patient must recruit dorsiflexors to hold or move against the force. The top surface is the correct lever to engage the dorsiflexors specifically and to minimize substitution from other muscles.

Placing resistance on the plantar surface would push the foot toward plantarflexion in the wrong way, not effectively oppose the dorsiflexion, and applying resistance near the calf or at the shin wouldn’t provide the proper line of pull to isolate those muscles. Hence, the dorsum of the foot is the proper site for resistance in this test.