Walker, Brad. Ultimate Guide to Stretching & Flexibility. 3rd ed. 2011. Print.
The muscles of the shin originate at the top of the tibia, just below the knee
joint, and extend down the front of the shin and over the ankle joint. The
primary action of the shin muscles is to dorsiflex the ankle joint.
The feet and ankles are comprised of a multitude of small muscles that
control the foot. The muscles around the feet and ankles, along with the
structure of the joints, allow for a large range of motion of the feet and
ankle; including plantar flexion, dorsiflexion, inversion, eversion and
rotation.
Sports that benefit from these shin, ankles and feet stretches include:
Basketball and Netball; Boxing; Cycling; Hiking, Backpacking,
Mountaineering and Orienteering; Ice hockey and Field hockey; Ice Skating,
Roller Skating and Inline Skating; Martial Arts; racquet sports like Tennis,
Badminton and Squash; Running, Track and Cross Country; running sports
like Football, Soccer, Gridiron and Rugby; Snow Skiing and Water Skiing;
Surfing; Swimming; Walking and Race Walking.
The major muscles being stretched.
Abductor digiti minimi
Abductor hallucis
Adductor hallucis
Extensor digitorum longus
Extensor hallucis longus
Flexor digiti minimi brevis
Quadratus plantae
Tibialis anterior
L01 – Foot-behind Shin Stretch: Stand upright and place the top of your toes on
the ground behind you. Push your ankle to the ground.
L02 – Front Cross-over Shin Stretch: Stand upright and place the top of your toes
on the ground in front of your other foot. Slowly bend your other knee to
force your ankle to the ground.
L03 – Raised Foot Shin Stretch: Stand with your back to a chair. Place the top of
your toes onto the chair and then push your ankle downwards.
L04 – Double Kneeling Shin Stretch: Sit with your knees and feet flat on the
ground. Sit back on your ankles and keep your knees together. Place your
hands next to your knees and slowly lean backwards while raising your
knees off the ground.
L05 – Squatting Toe Stretch: Kneel on one foot with your hands on the ground.
Keep the toes of your rear foot on the ground, slowly lean forward and arch
your foot.
L06 – Ankle Rotation Stretch: Raise one foot off the ground and slowly rotate your
foot and ankle in all directions.