Legs · Seated or Standing
Ankle circles
Slow circles of the foot while you sit. The lower legs stay still for hours at a desk; this moves them.
- 10 circles each way with each foot
- Movement
How to do it
- Sit upright and hold the sides of the chair.
- Lift one foot a little off the floor.
- Draw slow circles with your toes, ten one way and ten the other.
- Swap feet and repeat.
How long
Ten circles each way with each foot, about 30 seconds. For the NHS ankle stretch, point and flex the foot five times, two sets per foot.
What you should feel
Easy movement around the ankle and the lower leg.
Stop if…
- Pain, numbness, tingling or pins and needles, or dizziness: stop and do not push through it.
Variations
- Point and flex. Straighten the leg, point the toes away from you, then draw them back toward you (the NHS ankle stretch).
- Standing. Stand holding the desk and circle one foot with the toes resting on the floor.
Common mistakes
- Moving the whole leg instead of the ankle.
- Rushing.
Use it in a routine
The stretch routine builder can play this with other legs stretches, with a countdown for each side and a chime at every change. The stretch break timer adds stretches like it to a break after each work interval.
It is part of this ready-made routine: Lower back and hips, 5 minutes.
Sources
Written from published guidance by health services, physiotherapy and ergonomics bodies. Last reviewed .
- Sitting exercises, NHS (UK)
- Standing stretches for the workplace (video), Mayo Clinic (general stretching guidance)
- Desk-based exercises, Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (UK) (general stretching guidance)
- Stretching at the workstation (PDF), New Mexico State University Environmental Health and Safety (general stretching guidance)