3202 Strengthening exercises Tibialis muscles

Hello. Your podiatrist has examined you and has found that one of the muscles in your lower leg is weak. This muscle is called the tibialis anterior. We think that this weakness may be contributing to your foot, ankle or lower limb pain or discomfort. In this video we will show you some exercises to help strengthen the tibialis anterior in one or both of your legs. The tibialis anterior is the muscle that runs down the front of your leg next to your shin bone. It is responsible for bending your foot upwards away from the floor, and for controlling the rate at which your foot bends downwards. It also provides stability when you are walking or running. To help strengthen the tibialis anterior muscle, you will need a therapy band. This is a large elastic band which is commonly used in exercise and physiotherapy. It provides resistance to improve strength, mobility and function, and to decrease pain. You can purchase a therapy band from your podiatry department or online. You do not need to wear trainers for this exercise. Sit on the floor facing a large, heavy item of furniture such as a sofa or table. Tie the therapy band around the furniture. Loop the therapy band around the front half of your foot, with your knee bent. Move forwards or backwards until there is no slack in the elastic. Keep your heel on the floor and slowly bend your foot upwards towards your knee as far as it will go, so that you are pulling against the therapy band. Hold your foot in this position for two seconds, before slowly letting your foot relax back to its starting position. As you do this, you should feel some tension in the tibias anteriort muscle along the front of your shin. If you cannot feel any resistance you are sitting too close to the furniture and need to move further away to stretch the therapy band. Repeat this process 10 times on the same foot, and then 10 times with your other foot. Repeat this three times so that in total you do 30 stretches on each leg. If you find the exercise painful, you should stop, and if you have any questions, please speak to your podiatrist.