The peroneal tendon plays a considerable role in helping athletes to turn corners and cut. If the tendon is overused, it slowly develops into peroneal tendonitis. When the tendon becomes inflamed, it begins rubbing on the bone creating a painful sensation. Over time the tendon will begin to thicken to try and handle the load. Peroneal tendonitis is common among athletes, and especially runners.
Peroneal Tendon Anatomy
The peroneal tendon attaches the peroneal muscles to the bones of the feet. There are two peroneal tendons on both feet, and they run by the lump on the outside of the ankle called the lateral malleolus. One of the tendons attaches to the fifth metatarsal, and the other attaches under the foot to the arch.
The peroneal tendons provide stability for the ankle and the arches of the feet. They also help to turn the foot out. Without the muscle and tendon, it would be difficult to turn corners and to cut would be difficult because you often need to turn your foot out to do so.
Causes of Peroneal Tendonitis
Any sports that require a lot of ankle motions are at risk of developing Peroneal Tendonitis. If you run track and field, for example, running around the bend can develop tendonitis on the left side due to the foot continually being in a position that strains the peroneal muscles and tendons.
Overuse injuries also contribute to peroneal problems because they put more demand on the muscles that they can handle. If you are running a lot, all of the muscles of the foot and lower leg help to absorb those forces and if one is not working well, the others have to take on that demand. This is only made worse by ramping up training loads too quickly. When you begin doing physical activity, you should always increase your volume slowly over time.
Not having the right footwear can also increase these issues. Based on the size and width of your feet, as well as your arches, you need shoes that fit you properly. Without having the right shoes, you open the doors to many different types of athletic injuries.
Lastly, if you have failed to rehab a past case of peroneal tendonitis or an ankle sprain, it can make you much more susceptible to this injury. Both of these injuries weaken the stability of the ankle and make the job harder for the tendons.
Symptoms of Peroneal Tendonitis
The Peroneal tendon can become inflamed due to chronic issues that develop over time or a sudden acute injury. No matter what brings the injury on here are some of the common symptoms.
- Pain at the back of the ankle
- Pain that gets worse as you get more active
- Any time you turn foot out and feel pain
- Swelling in the back of the ankle
- Sore to touch
- Ankle instability
Diagnosing Peroneal Tendon Problems
The doctor will want to know your medical history as well as what your physical activity is like to figure out if overuse is coming into play. It is essential for a healthcare provider to figure out if it is tendon pain or if it is the fibula. If the fibula is what hurt then you will be dealing with a different injury.
A sports medicine healthcare provider will use a variety of techniques to evaluate the ankle, muscles, and tendons of the lower leg to figure out what the problem is. They will also apply pressure to different areas as well as getting you to resist them from moving things. If need they may call for you to get some imaging done on your ankle like an MRI.
Treatment for Peroneal Tendonitis
The most crucial part of healing this injury is rest. You should completely stop anything that bothers the tendon in any way. If walking does not hurt, then you can keep doing it but if jogging hurt then you should stop right away. As time goes on the pain will lessen, and at that point, you can begin rehab. During the early stages of the injury you can also ice the injury and take painkillers, but both solutions serve as short-term fixes.
Working with a physical therapist and doing a proper rehab is the best way to go about healing this injury. The reason is that it will attach the root problems that have caused the issue in the first place. The reason for working with a health care provider is in your best interest is because they can give you exercises to do at home that you can use to stay healthy in the long run.
Prevention of Peroneal Tendonitis
The peroneal tendon can remain healthy by taking simple steps. The first thing you should be doing is taking care of your lower legs. That means slowly increasing training volumes, and making sure to stretch and foam roll on a daily basis. Getting the right fitting shoes is the last thing you can do on your own to prevent this injury. Getting outside help is the best way of all to make sure that you keep the tendonitis away.
Finding The Best Local Sports Medicine Providers for Peroneal Tendonitis
Kho Health is the best place to start your search for a health care provider to help you stay healthy. The key to success as an athlete is staying healthy and making sure the injuries are dealt with appropriately. Any athlete is at more risk of hurting their peroneal tendon and the key to success as an athlete is staying healthy.
Kho Health lets you search for providers by type and skill. For example, you can look for a Physical Therapist with the capability of the Graston Technique. It does not matter what kind of provider you need, Kho Health can help you find them and help you to sort through their skills.
If you are unsure where to start your journey, Kho Health will ask you questions and help you figure out the best starting place. All you have to do is answer a few questions. From there Kho Health will connect you with the type of provider best suited for your needs. It does not matter if you are injured or making sure you don’t run into peroneal tendon issues.
The platform makes it easy to compare health providers as they are all given a Kho Number. How do you decide which healthcare providers are the best? Reading bios and reviews is just not enough because you need more than that.
Skill Sets to Look for In Sports Medicine Providers
Skill sets are the things healthcare providers learn after they graduate. A healthcare provider can take courses and get certifications for different skill sets. These skill sets are valuable and help them approach injuries from different perspectives so that you can get the best help at the right time for any peroneal tendonitis treatment.
- Dry needling
- Acupuncture
- Joint Manipulation
- Active Release Technique
- Graston Technique
- Functional Movement Screen
- Fascial Stretching
- Strength and Conditioning Coach
- Athletic Trainer
- Sports Background
- And many more
9INE POINT Health was created by 9INE POINT in '19 as a means to provide athlete-driven resources to "Protect Athletes' Minds, Body and Belly". As well as be a platform for healthcare providers and other specialists to display their knowledge.