Stretching Shin Muscles with Elastic Bands

When you reach down and touch your shin, you notice the hard shin bone. Toward the outside of your shins, you feel a soft, fleshy area. That is your tibialis anterior muscle, which allows you to pull the top of your foot away from the ground and rotate the soles of your feet together. Tightness in this muscle can lead to the pain collectively called shin splints.

Tibialis Anterior Muscle

• You may not notice it working, but the tibialis anterior muscle allows for some important ankle and foot movements. It allows you to lift the top of your foot off the ground, which helps you walk. It also helps you pivot the soles of your feet inward, a good movement to have when walking on uneven ground. When your tibialis anterior muscle tightens, it decreases the range of movement in your ankles.

Elastic Bands

• An elastic band is a simple device that has the natural ability to increase resistance as it stretches. Sure, you can stretch your tibialis anterior muscle without one, but the resistance it offers increases the effectiveness of the stretch. Without an elastic band, you would need an assistant to increase the pressure of the stretch. The bands' elastic property also allows them to conform to the shape of your foot, eliminating the need for a holster or other soft method of attachment to your feet. Looped bands -- which look like a large, flat rubber band -- make connecting the bands to your feet an easy task.

Side-to-Side Stretch

• With one side of an elastic band secured to a pole or column, it becomes a force to reckon with when doing a side-to-side stretch. Loop the band by wrapping it around the support to form two loops and feeding one loop through the other. Sit on the ground, and put the open loop end of the band around your foot. Slowly rotate your foot from side to side. Repeat the motion 30 to 45 times by breaking it down into three sets of between 10 and 15 reps. Switch to the other leg and repeat. This stretch focuses on both the tibialis anterior and the tibialis posterior muscles, stabilizing and strengthening the side-to-side movement of your ankles.

In-and-Out Stretch

• Secure an elastic band around a support. Sit down, and wrap the band around your ankle and loop the top of your foot inside the band. Pull your toes toward you slowly and hold for 10 seconds. Release your toes and flex them away from your leg, remembering to move slowly. Repeat the motion 30 to 45 times in 15 rep sets, and then stretch the other leg.