Stretch of the Week: Seated Shin Stretch

Happy New Year everyone! I can’t believe it’s already 2018! Have you set any goals for yourself for the coming year? Hopefully one of them is to add more stretching to your life!

For the first month of 2018 we will focus on stretching muscles along the front of our shins. In my experience, a large percent of the population I have worked with has muscle stiffness along the shins. Have you ever experienced shins splints? Or cramping when you sit back on your heels with the tops of the feet flat to the floor? Then this month’s stretches are for you!

For the first week of January, we will be performing a Seated Shin Stretch. It will stretch all the muscles from the bottom of your knee down to the top of your foot. You will need a chair for this week’s stretch. As always, please consult your physician before attempting this stretch if you have any ankle or foot injuries.

How to perform:

1. Take a seat in a chair. Sit to the edge of the chair with your ankles right below and in line with your knees. Take your left ankle and place it on top of your right knee as shown in photo 1. If this is really difficult because your left hip is tight, then straighten the right leg until it becomes more comfortable in your left hip.

2. Put your right hand on the top of your left foot along your toe knuckles, as shown in photo 2.

3. Gently begin to press your right hand into the top of your left foot to bend the toes. Continue gently pressing downward on the foot until your ankle is as straight as is comfortable and you feel a stretch along the front of your shin, ankle and foot. You will be pressing your foot toward your right hip. This is shown in photo 3.

4. Hold this stretch for a count of 10. Then relax and release. You can repeat the stretch five times. Then switch legs and repeat on your right foot.

Interested in learning more? Email me at rachel.lackowski@athletico.com

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