Muscle · Lower leg

Tibialis anterior

Musculus tibialis anterior

The strap of muscle you can feel on the front of the shin, just outside the bony edge. It lifts the foot — which matters twice in every step: it clears the toes as the leg swings through, and then it lowers the foot to the ground under control after the heel lands instead of letting it slap down. Because it also pulls upward on the inside of the arch, it is part of how the arch is held during stance. It is the muscle patients are usually feeling when they say 'shin splints', and it is typically working overtime, not resting: it fights a tight calf on every step.