Stretching Your Medial Tibial Muscle

Shin splints and trigger points in the medial tibialis muscles are common among athletes. This region consists of the anterior tibialis, extensor digitorum longus and extensor hallucis longus, which make up the medial tibialis muscle group. The muscles work together to move your ankle and toes, such as pointing your foot down and assisting in foot eversion and inversion. Although traditional training philosophy suggests stretching and strengthening these muscles and your calves to prevent or treat shin splints, there is little to no benefit in stretching.

  1. Shin Splints

    • Shin splints, or medial tibial stress syndrome, refers to pain along the front part of the lower leg that is usually caused by overtraining, tibial stress fractures and repetitive contraction of the medial tibial muscles, according to a 2009 review published in "Current Reviews in Musculoskeletal Medicine." It can also be caused by the rate of bone resorption outpacing bone formation of the tibial cortex, described a 2009 review in "Sports Medicine." Conservative treatments include eccentric stretching of the calves and shins by standing on a step on the toes and the balls of your feet with your heels hanging over the edge. Lowering your heels and raising your heels repetitively on the step lengthens and shortens the medial tibialis muscles.

    Limitations in Stretching

    • Even though the medial tibialis muscles have a change in length when you point your foot down like a ballerina, there isn't range of motion in your ankles to provide any significant stretch. The shin stretch is strictly limited by the shape and arrangement of the ankle bones, says registered massage therapist Paul Ingraham. In short of breaking your ankle, the intensity of the tibialis stretch is nowhere near the intensity of a hamstring or quadriceps stretch, no matter how far you point your toes down.

    No Difference or Benefits

    • Stretching and strengthening your calves can affect the flexibility and strength of the medial tibialis muscles, such as doing standing calf raises and heel drops. However, a 2012 study published in "Sports Medicine, Arthroscopy, Rehabilitation, Therapy & Technology" showed that athletes who performed graded running with stretching and strengthening exercises had no difference in performance improvement than one group that did graded running only and the other group that ran while wearing sports compression stockings around the lower leg.

    Self-Massage

    • Giving yourself a massage along the medial tibialis muscles is a better alternative than traditional stretching, says Ingraham. With your leg stretched and rested on a flat surface, start with the anterior tibialis by placing your thumb on the meaty part of the muscle about 2 inches below the lateral side of the kneecap. Compress into the muscle gently and slowly slide your thumb down along the tibia until you reach your ankle. You may also use a massage stick to stroke along the muscle. Do not massage too hard, especially if you have shin splints or are experiencing muscle soreness. After performing several strokes along the muscle, move your ankle in different directions and take a short walk for a minute.