How to Do Tibialis Raises: A Hinge Health Guide
Learn how to do tibialis raises (tib raises) to improve lower leg and foot strength, plus modifications to make this exercise easier or harder.
Table of Contents
Foot and lower leg pain can be disruptive to your daily routine. One of the best ways to manage it: doing daily exercises that strengthen your leg muscles. Tibialis raises, also known as tib raises, are a simple exercise you can do in any routine. They can reduce pain in your feet, ankles, or shins, which makes everyday activities like walking or climbing stairs easier. They can also help improve balance and prevent knee issues and injuries like shin splints.
Read on to learn more about the benefits of tibialis raises and how to do them, plus ways to make this exercise easier or harder.
Interested in getting a personalized exercise therapy plan? Learn more about Hinge Health’s digital physical therapy program and see if you’re eligible.
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What Are Tibialis Raises?
Tibialis raises, or tib raises, are a strengthening exercise that helps improve shin, ankle, and foot strength. They involve leaning against a wall and lifting your toes off the ground. This helps improve balance and stability. It’s a simple way to train your shin muscles to feel stronger during activities like walking, jogging, and playing sports.
What Muscles Do Tibialis Raises Work?
Tibialis raises mainly target the muscle along the front of your shin, known as the tibialis anterior. They also help strengthen your calves and peroneal muscles, which are located on the outer part of your lower leg. Tib raises also stabilize your ankles and strengthen your intrinsic foot muscles, which are small foot muscles that help with balance.
Benefits of Tibialis Raises
There are several advantages of adding tibialis raises to your movement routine, such as:
Improved ankle stability. Strengthening the tibialis anterior muscles helps stabilize your ankles, which helps prevent injuries such as ankle sprains. Building strength also helps prevent aches and pains that may happen when you do more exercise, or start a new activity — like shin splints if you take up running or increase your mileage.
Better balance and coordination. Tib raises can help your gait by making it easier to lift your feet off the ground when you walk. This contributes to better foot control and improved balance and coordination.
Reduced pain during everyday activities. Tib raises work many muscles in your lower legs. This makes daily activities like walking, climbing stairs, and running more comfortable, especially if you tend to experience shin or lower leg pain.
Arch support. The tibialis anterior helps support the arches of your feet. While having flat feet is not bad — many people with flat feet have no foot issues — strengthening this muscle can help relieve foot pain that may be related to a flattened foot arch.
Tibialis Raises: Exercises and Modifications
The information contained in these videos is intended to be used for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice or treatment for any specific condition. Hinge Health is not your healthcare provider and is not responsible for any injury sustained or exacerbated by your use of or participation in these exercises. Please consult with your healthcare provider with any questions you may have about your medical condition or treatment.
To do tibialis raises:
Stand with your back against a wall, with your feet about a foot out from the wall.
Lift the front of your feet off the floor to come onto your heels.
Lower your feet back down to the floor.
As you do each rep, you might feel the tops of your feet and front of your shins working.
Everyone is different, which is why you may need to modify this exercise to meet your needs.
Physical therapy (PT) is for more than just recovering from surgery or injury. It’s one of the top treatments for joint and muscle pain. It helps build strength, improve mobility, and reduce pain. And it doesn't always need to be in person.
Hinge Health members can conveniently access customized plans or chat with their care team at home or on the go — and experience an average 68% reduction in pain* within the first 12 weeks of their program. Learn more*.
Tibialis Raises Modifications
Want expert care? Check if you're covered for our free program →To make tibialis raises easier:
Only lift the front of your target foot off the floor during the exercise. Leave your other foot flat on the floor.
To make tibialis raises harder:
Start with your feet further away from the wall so your feet move through a bigger range of motion when you lift your toes off the floor.
How Hinge Health Can Help You
If you have joint or muscle pain that makes it hard to move, you can get the relief you’ve been looking for with Hinge Health’s online exercise therapy program.
The best part: You don’t have to leave your home because our program is digital. That means you can easily get the care you need through our app, when and where it works for you.
Through our program, you’ll have access to therapeutic exercises and stretches for your condition. Additionally, you’ll have a personal care team to guide, support, and tailor our program to you.
See if you qualify for Hinge Health and confirm free coverage through your employer or benefit plan here.
This article and its contents are provided for educational and informational purposes only and do not constitute medical advice or professional services specific to you or your medical condition.
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References
Raj, M. A., DeCastro, A., Seaman, T. J., & Kiel, J. (2020). Pes Planus. PubMed; StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK430802/
Yoon, S.-W. (2017). Analysis of the muscular activities of the tibialis anterior and gastrocnemius muscles in functional reach. Journal of Physical Therapy Science, 29(5), 851–853. doi:10.1589/jpts.29.851
None Kavi priya K, None Ramana K, None Anitha A, & None Kamalakannan M. (2024). Comparative Study on Tibialis Posterior Muscle Strengthening Exercise Vs Quadriceps Muscle Strengthening Exercise in Reducing Pain and Improving the Functional Status for Peoples with Anterior Knee Pain. Indian Journal of Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy, 18, 593–598. doi:10.37506/g4p32g02