The seated ankle point is a movement exercise for pointing the feet down at the ankle (plantar flexion). You sit with both legs straight out in front of you, point both feet and toes away from you as far as they go, then bring them back to upright. No weight goes through the feet, so physios often give it early after an ankle injury, or once a cast or boot comes off, to get a stiff ankle moving again. It also gives the calves some easy work during long spells in bed or in a chair.

How to do the seated ankle point

Sit on a bed, treatment table or the floor with both legs straight out in front of you and your hands resting on your thighs, as in the video.
Let the backs of your knees rest down, with your feet upright and relaxed.
Point both feet and toes down, away from you, as far as they comfortably go. Keep your knees straight.
Pause briefly at the end, then bring the feet back up to upright.
Repeat at a slow, steady pace, moving only at the ankles.

What you should feel

A squeeze in the calves as the feet point, and a light stretch across the front of the ankle and the top of the foot. Stiff ankles often loosen after the first few.

Common mistakes

Bending the knees or lifting them off the surface.
Clawing the toes hard, which can bring on a cramp under the foot.
Turning the feet in as they point, instead of moving them straight down.
Flicking the feet quickly instead of moving slowly to each end.

How often

A typical routine is 10 to 20 slow points with a short pause at the bottom, 2 or 3 times a day. Your physio will adjust this.

Stop and check with your physio if

Sharp pain at the front or back of the ankle, or in the heel or Achilles tendon.
New numbness, burning or pins and needles in the foot, or tingling that gets worse as you go. If it stays after you stop, or keeps getting worse, get medical advice the same day.
Your calf or thigh is getting more swollen, or becomes warm, tender, red or darker than usual, or has a new throbbing or cramping pain. This can be a blood clot, especially after an operation, an injury, time in a cast, boot or brace, or a spell of being much less mobile than usual, and after an operation it can also be an infection. Stop and contact your medical team or get medical advice the same day. If you are also short of breath or have chest pain, call emergency services.
You suddenly become short of breath, get chest pain or pain in your upper back that may be worse when you breathe in, cough up blood, your heart beats very fast, or you faint. Call emergency services straight away, even if your leg looks normal, as this can be a blood clot in the lungs (pulmonary embolism).
Emergency: while you are in a cast or boot, your toes turn blue, white or pale, or feel cold. Do not wait to see if raising your leg helps. Go to an emergency department straight away, and do not drive yourself. The cast or boot may be cutting off the blood supply, or pressure may be building up inside the leg (compartment syndrome), and both need checking quickly.
In a cast or boot, the pain gets worse, your toes feel numb, tingle or burn or look more swollen, or the cast or boot feels too tight. Stop, raise your foot above your hip, keep moving your toes and contact your fracture clinic or get medical advice straight away. If you wear a boot, loosen the straps but keep it on. If you cannot move your toes, the pain is severe even after painkillers, or the numbness, tingling, burning or swelling has not settled within 30 minutes of raising your foot, go to your fracture clinic or an emergency department straight away, and do not drive yourself.
Since the fracture or cast, the foot or ankle is getting more painful rather than less, the skin becomes very sensitive to light touch, or the foot changes color, temperature, swelling or sweating compared with the other one, or looks shiny. See your doctor or physio as soon as you can, within a few days at most, as this can be complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) and early treatment may help.

From the clinic

The video and voice guide match: legs straight, both feet pointing down together, then back to upright. Pointing the foot is the calf's main job, and with no body weight on it this is far lighter work than a calf raise. If the calf or the arch of the foot cramps, stop, ease the toes gently back toward you and let it settle before you carry on. Sitting with straight legs can pull on the back, so lean against a wall or a stack of pillows if you need to.

After an ankle fracture or ankle surgery, follow your surgeon's or physio's plan, and start this exercise only when they have cleared you. If you are in a boot, your fracture clinic will tell you whether it can come off for exercise. After a torn Achilles tendon, repaired or not, ask your surgeon or physio before you start, and bring the foot back up only as far as they allow.

To move the ankle both ways, see ankle dorsiflexion in long sitting or ankle pumps in a chair. Once pointing feels easy, ankle plantar flexion with a band adds resistance.

Written and checked by the PocketPhysio editorial team. Last updated 2026-09-28.

This page is general education, not a diagnosis or a personal treatment plan. If you have pain, an injury or a health condition, see a physiotherapist or doctor before starting new exercises.

Seated ankle point