2 Ways Your Anterior Tibialis Prevents Knee Pain

If you're experiencing knee pain, you're not alone. It's a common issue that affects people from all walks of life.

While various factors contribute to knee pain, one often overlooked muscle that plays a significant role in ankle and knee stability is the anterior tibialis.

When I first started SquatWedgiez, I didn't realize this muscle's importance until I started doing some research. I was blown away by how much it contributes to our everyday life. 

So in today's blog post, we'll explore two ways a strong anterior tibialis can help prevent knee pain.

Plus, we will teach you the best way to train it, enabling you to maintain an active and pain-free lifestyle.

1. Saves You From Falling

The anterior tibialis muscle is located in the front of the leg. It is the strongest dorsiflexor of the foot—the movement that brings the foot upward toward the shin. 

It may not seem like a significant movement, but the ability to pull the top of your foot toward your shin saves you from falling every time you take a step. 

If the anterior tibialis is weak, your toes may hit the ground or stairs and cause you to trip and fall. So now you know why you tripped going up your stairs or while walking and texting.

Without a solid anterior tibialis, you couldn't walk, run, or jump without tripping. 

2. Enhanced Shock Absorption

We subject our joints to extremely high-impact forces when we run and jump. During the landing phase of these activities, the anterior tibialis muscle plays a crucial role in absorbing shock by controlling movement at the foot and ankle.

If your anterior tibialis is too weak, the ankle and foot could collapse inward, causing excessive stress on the knee joint. Over time, this could lead to pain or injury if the joint doesn't have time to recover.

The antidote is to have a strong, mobile anterior tibialis. Then it could keep the lower leg aligned so that it can absorb and distribute these impact forces throughout the lower leg instead of just the knee. 

Not only does the anterior tibialis absorb energy from our daily movements, but it also recycles and stores that energy in its tendon, making walking and running more efficient. 

How Do I Strengthen It?

Now that you know the benefits of a strong anterior tibialis, let's teach you how to train it. 

The easiest way to strengthen it is through a loaded tib bar raise. Please watch the video below to learn how to do it. 

Tips 

1. Start with a light weight and aim for 20-30 reps

2. Increase weight once you can perform 3 sets x 30 reps with the same weight

3. Locking your knees will place more load on the anterior tibialis, whereas a bent knee will train the quadricep as well

 

*You can perform bodyweight tib raises against a wall, but it is inefficient compared to the loaded tib bar raise because you can't progressively overload the muscle

 

Conclusion

Don't underestimate the importance of a strong anterior tibialis in maintaining knee health.

By focusing on strengthening this muscle, you can significantly reduce the risk of knee pain and improve your overall functional ability.

However, it's essential to remember that knee health is a multifaceted aspect of your overall well-being.

Incorporate a well-rounded exercise program that addresses the strength and flexibility of other muscles around the knee joint, such as the glutes,quadriceps, hamstrings, and calf muscles. 

Versa Tib Bar

If you are in need of a piece of equipment that can help you train all of these muscle groups, then look no further than our Versa Tib Bar.

With it, you can perform up to 22 different exercises that can help you strengthen and bulletproof your lower body.

For example, you can use it for leg extensions, nordic leg curls, kettlebell swings, and hanging knee raise to name a few.

Please click HERE to try our Versa Tib Bar Risk Free for 30 days.