Ankle motion in common yoga poses

•Little is known about ankle motion in yoga activity.•The arc of motion in typical yoga poses was 55° of sagittal motion, 17° of frontal motion and 60° of transverse motion.•Injury to the ankle or fusion or replacement surgery may restrict ankle motion below levels typically used in practice. Motion of the ankle is essential for many yoga poses. An understanding of range of ankle motion during typical yoga poses may help the clinician to understand expected outcomes of patients when returning from ankle surgery or injury to yoga. The biomechanics of twenty healthy active yogis were collected during seven yoga poses that are common within their practices. Motion capture and force plates were used to assess the range of motion and joint moments of the ankle for each pose. All poses resulted in plantarflexion and external rotation moments at the ankle joints. Joint loading was highest in single leg poses. The arc of motion used by the study participants in the poses was 29° of sagittal motion, 20° of frontal motion and 35° of transverse motion. Ankle motion was evaluated when healthy yogis perform standard poses. These results may help in discussion with patients regarding expected outcomes after ankle injury or surgery.