The Ankle Is the Foundation Nobody Checks
Most people who complain about knee pain get told to strengthen their quads. Most people with hip pain get told to stretch their hamstrings. What rarely gets examined is the joint at the bottom of the chain: the ankle. Specifically, dorsiflexion, the ability of your ankle to bend so your shin moves forward over your foot. When that range is limited, every joint above it has to make up the difference, and those joints were not designed to absorb that kind of repeated compensation.
