Probably well past time that I address this movement
No, this is not an attack on KOT guy; I see this claim all over rehab Twitter and IG.
“The best exercise for your knee pain is a Tib Raise”
First off, there are two Tibialis muscles so the “Tib” isn’t even a thing
What is being referred to here is the Tibialis Anterior. The function of this muscle is to dorsiflex the ankle. Yes, this is a very important movement you need for your ankle
I will be doing my best to avoid biomechanics and overcomplicating the discussion. Hopefully this is an easy enough read
What’s the argument for Tib raises?
What most of the arguments for this exercise boil down to having a strong base
Forces are absorbed through your feet and ankle first in any athletic movement. If your lower extremity is weak and cannot absorb the force, it travels up the kinetic chain.
Heel striking is a natural part of walking/running gait. If you want to debate/discuss heel striking and running, head over to BowTiedRunner here. This puts the ankle into dorsiflexion, of which the Tibialis Anterior controls.
The knee is already a shock absorber, and if the foot is weak, this puts more strain on the knee
Why this claim is redacted
Forces are absorbed by every soft tissue structure in the lower extremity. The calf muscles, arch etc. also absorb force. The anterior tibialis is a small muscle. The human body is not that fragile that a slightly weaker tiny muscle will throw off the entire kinetic chain.
Assuming it is weaker. I’d guarantee 95% of people suggesting this as a blanket statement don’t even know how to assess this.
Dorsiflexion is an important motion needed for heel striking and normal gait. Just because a motion is needed it doesn’t mean that muscle that controls said motion needs to get stronger
The knee absorbs force. Know what makes the knee be able to absorb more force? Getting your quads strong.
I don’t think it’s a sound argument to argue a smaller muscle that doesn’t directly effect the knee has a bigger effect on that the primary mover of the knee.
Tib raises are not bad
“Tib raises” are a great exercise and there is nothing wrong with them. I use them for all ankle rehab and chronic shin splint related issues.
The issue lies in claiming that they are the best exercise for knee pain. There is not a universal best exercise for anything. And if there were, it would not be a muscle that doesn’t cross the joint it is claiming to fix.
What is the best exercise for knee pain?
There isn’t one
That being said, the focus of knee pain should be the quads. So whatever exercise you can do without pain is gonna be the best for you
We have never once used a Tib Raise for knee pain at this point between the 2 of us. We’ve also never felt we were missing something in our rehab protocols
Luckily, we’ve rehabbed 1,000s if not 10,000s of knees combined so we know a thing or two. For a knee rehab program that doesn’t include ankle exercises, check it out below.
If you want me to add tib raises, send me $200 for my “custom programming” fee - Bengal