Effect of the Adjustment of the Tibiofibular Joint on the Range of Motion in the Ankle Joint and Exercise Performance

The study conducted by Ishida et al. showed that improvement in muscle strength increases exercise capacity and that the direction of exercise has an influence on muscle activity. We studied the effect of the change in range of motion in plantar flexion and dorsiflexion of the ankle joint on exercise capacity. Either left or right superior tibiofibular joint that had the narrower range of motion was adjusted, and the range of motion in plantar flexion and dorsiflexion of the ankle joint were measured with a goniometer and compared before and after the adjustment. The distance of standing broad jump before and after the adjustment were compared. We found that the range of motion in the ankle joint was limited by the limitation of the range of motion in the tibiofibular joint. The results showed that increase in the range of motion in the ankle joint significantly increased the distance of standing broad jump. Increase in the range of motion m the ankle joint, especially adjustment of the tibiofibular joint, is effective to improve exercise performance.