The anterior tibialis is the muscle in front of the shin that brings your foot and ankle back towards your head.
Pain here is often mistaken for shin splints or medial tibial stress syndrome (see the shin splints post here). However, this is a different injury than shin splints, involving different musculature.
Action of the Anterior Tibialis
The anterior tibialis performs Dorsiflexion at the ankle.
When walking or running, the anterior tibialis helps you to clear your toe during the swing phase. If the calf is too tight then the anterior tibialis must work harder to perform the action, leading to tendinitis of the muscle.
The anterior tibialis is one of the muscles I mentioned in the underrated muscles blog post for this reason (check that out here). The calf muscles take all the attention when it comes to running and other activities.
Causes of Anterior Tibialis Pain
Often the cause of pain in the anterior tibialis is similar to shin splints including over training and running.
When beginning to workout or run you want to be sure to build up your workouts. Start slow and continue to increase at intervals that make it easier on your body.
Another common cause is tightness or overuse of the calf muscles (gastrocnemius and soleus) not allowing the anterior tibialis to perform like is should.
Exercises for anterior tibialis pain:
These exercises listed below should be added to your routine if you have pain or if you want to prevent pain in this muscle.
Calf stretching (gastric and soleus)
DF with band or machine
Heel elevated toe raises
Heel walking
Other Treatments
- Rest
- Ice
- Massage
- Orthotics if gait issue
- NSAID for temporary relief
The anterior tibialis is the muscle in the front of the shin and has important work to do during walking and running. Pain in the muscle can inhibit how well you perform those activities.