As discussed in my last post, an unhappy posterior tibialis can lead to a whole host of problems, including fallen arches and heel bone deformity (yikes). To prevent and/or help to correct this, use your Yoga Tune UpĀ® Therapy Balls to roll on the PT trigger point, located in the center of your calf, about 2 inches below the back of your knee.
And then perform the following Yoga Tune UpĀ® poses with your Posterior Tibialis fore front in your concentration:
1) Barbie Doll Foot (featured below in the second half of the video) Ā will awaken the PT by concentrating on pressing away through the plantar flexion aspect of the movement.
2) Because weak hips (especially the abductors in this case) can exaggerate the problems in the foot and balance will help the proprioception in the ankle you can address two birds with one pose ā Abductor Lifts Dynamic. Pay attention to the standing legās ankle and be sure it does NOT fall in.
3) Lastly the YTU pose Squat Arms up with Block at the Wall. This will help strengthen the posterior tibilais by keeping knees wide and will help to lift the arch.
In closing, next time you press your car pedal down think about pressing from the ball of your foot keeping the ankle in line! And since the PT is active during the swing phase of your walk it will thank you for all the time and effort you took to give it the TLC it deserves with these posterior tibialis exercises!
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This article is very enlightening! I feel an insane amount of sensation when using the YTU Therapy balls to rollout my calf and I also have achey feet most days. I had not considered working my abductors to help resolve the tenderness. Abductor Lifts here I come!
I especially appreciate the reminder to bring awareness to the Posterior Tibialis as we do these moves. So much more effective that just moving our feet and ankles mindlessly. Where the mind goes, energy flows – and proprioception grows!
IĀ“ve broken my ankle a few years ago and I can still feel itĀ“s tightness when IĀ“m performing ankle circles or Barbie Doll Feet. Thank you, for this little sequence. I will add this to my personal practice.
I never really paid attention to the PT and they’ve become so tight, I really have some work to do but I’m excited to try these exercises!
Thank you SO much for this article- I have torn my right Achilles twice and after just finishing my YTU Level one I know how to do the 3 poses you suggested and look forward to improving my right ankle mobility
I have a student with a chronically tight achilles. I think some of these exercises might help with that.
I am happily following the blogs related to the Tibialis Posterior š Sometimes it is great to be reminded of how the smallest of movements can be nourishing. These simple corrective exercises are fun to do and I can’t wait to try these YTU poses with my attention on how to activate this muscle.
Great curation of poses to strengthen the posterior tibilias. I’ve become a cycler over the last year and been noticing a lot of new pain around my tibia and down to the ankle, particularly on the leg where I had a patella ligament reconstruction to the Tibia. While I did years of PT for this post-surgery these types of movements were never integrated. I love the use of the YTU balls and the squat arms with block at the wall connection and will be adding it into my regular routine
The posterior Tibialis, gets so tight in so many people. Expecially runner’s, they way too often forget to stretch. I could see how this might be a great pre/post workout to do that would not take too much time. It should help prevent injury. Thank you
As someone with heel bone deformities I second your encouragement to take care of this area. I wish I had been aware of this years ago and would then have implemented these quick and effective techniques to prevent that vital range of motion at the ankle. Once that range of motion is compromised the effect runs all the way up the chain of the body and in particular can cause restrictions in the entire posterior chain. Poses from the staple of downward dog to what should be a down regulating pose like paschimottonasana can light up the entire posterior chain and take away from the pleasure of these poses. Thanks for the post!
I wonder if this would help with posterior tendonitis. The next step for me is to look into how rolling on muscle could affect tendons.
I’m always looking for ways to incorporate corrective movement into my life. The gas pedal PT strengthener is an awesome idea, thanks!
Pam — I’m doing my YTU training at the present time. My 5 minute YTU Therapy Ball presentation is the leg and it’s muscles and tendons. I can see how a tight posterior tibialus, gastrocnemius and soleus could cause problems into the foot muscles and fascia. A lot of people suffer from fallen arches, plantar fasciitis and calcaneous spur and using these therapy balls could prevent cortisone shots and surgery.
Thanks for this info.
Plan on using Barbie Doll Foot in my Barre class and giving it as homework for students to keep their PT, ankle and tarsal joints healthy.
I also have several Pilates and Barre students that suffer from pain in their plantar fascia. Still doing research on the best therapies with the ball and stretches that help this students reduce their pain.
What an interesting mix of YTU poses to target the posterior tibialis. I can see how they each activate and strengthen the muscle(s). I especially like your choice of Abductor Lifts Dynamic for it’s multi functional benefits!