Tibialis anterior is a long, narrow muscle on the front of the lower leg. It is one of the major muscles of a group that sits just to the outside of the tibia (shin bone), known as the anterior compartment. The tibialis anterior originates on the upper part of the tibia and the interosseous membrane (connective tissue between the two bones of the lower leg). It’s tendon crosses over the front of the ankle and inserts on the medial cuneiform and the base of the first metatarsal (bones in the arch of the foot).
Anatomy books will tell you that the actions of the tibialis anterior are to dorsiflex the foot (lift the toes up toward the knee) and to invert the foot (cause the foot to roll onto it’s outer edge), and that it also helps to maintain the arch of the foot and prevent the foot from everting (rolling inward) too much. Functionally however, in addition to those actions, the tibialis anterior is also involved in lowering the foot back to the ground during walking or running, requiring an eccentric contraction.
Because both the concentric and eccentric movements of tibialis anterior are necessary for walking and running, we can see that this little muscle is engaged during each phase of the stride and is therefore easily overworked and prone to developing trigger points. Tibialis anterior pain is usually felt during or after activities that are stressful for the muscle such as excessive walking, running, or hiking (especially up and down hills or on hard surfaces), kicking with pointed toes (soccer), or wearing tight shoes. Pain may be felt in the ankle, foot, or shin. Pain from tibialis anterior tension or trigger points is one of several conditions often called “shin splints” (see previous blog post).
Because the tibialis anterior tendon crosses the front of the ankle, it is susceptible to aggravation from tight footwear. Athletes experiencing ankle or shin pain should try loosening the laces of their shoes and see if the problem resolves itself.
Shin pain is usually easily treatable at home with rest and ice. If pain persists, there may be a more complicated issue that needs to be addressed. Massage therapy can be a very effective tool to help calm the soft tissues involved and ease the associated pain.
Check out this video for a simple strengthening technique for the tibialis anterior (the actual exercise starts at 1:20). Click here for a good example of a tibialis anterior stretch - just ignore how awkward the poor instructor is!