Peroneal tendonitis is one of the sneakiest running-related injuries. Every runner knows someone he has (maybe that someone is you), but he's not one of the famous show dogs likerunner's kneeoAchilles tendonitis. With that being said, peroneal tendon pain bothers runners like us all over the world. Today we are going to explain the causes and then we will show you the three best exercises for peroneal tendonitis in runners.
(image adapted from foothealthfacts.org)
What causes peroneal tendonitis?
The peroneal muscles and tendons position the foot during running and work with the larger muscles of the leg to propel the runner forward. Interestingly, very little research has been done on peroneal tendon pain (here's a review).for study), so most of our current recommendations are extrapolations from what the scientific community has learned about other forms of tendinitis/tendinopathy in the last 10 years. If you feel the pain on the outside of the ankle or lower on the outside of the foot, the cause of peroneal tendonitis is probably simple. You probably ran a bit more than the tendon was prepared for. That can mean more mileage, more speed, very little time between intense workouts. This could mean lack of sleep or insufficient food/nutrients. It could also be something strange. when you run a lot
Happens!
BUT FEAR NOT, like most running injuries, you can probably treat peroneal tendonitis at home with a few simple exercises.
Just so you know, if you Google peroneal tendonitis, you'll find a ton of outdated recommendations for icing and stretching (Runner's World medical content is often 20 years old, FYI).
- Research on ice is limited and mostly in mice, but evidence suggests that it may actually slow healing somewhat (for study)
- Stretching doesn't really do anything for the tendons (analysis) so, at this point, there is no good reason to tell an athlete with tendinitis to stretch.
So if the frosting doesn't work and stretching doesn't do anything, what's left? He was right! Reinforcement!!
O The best way to get rid of peroneal tendonitis is to encourage the tendon to heal itself through exercise therapy and to increase the amount of load the tendon and legs can generally tolerate.
What is happening inside the tendon?
When you put too much load on a tendon, it freaks out. The normally neat and tidy strands of collagen become disorganized and everything thickens. Basically the body does this to tighten everything up quickly to avoid a serious problem like a tear. The way to get it back on track is to introduce thecorrectload amount. This tells the body that all is well and basically guides it back into a pattern of producing healthy and orderly new collagen strands.
Before we begin, we want to be very clear. If you are experiencing pain along a bone, such as one of the forefoot bones, it is ALWAYS a good decision to rule out a stress bone injury. If it hurts to jump on one foot or put pressure on the bone, we suggest that you see a doctor to avoid it. They can take an X-ray and rule out a more serious problem extremely quickly.
The best exercises for peroneal tendonitis
Heavy loading is often the way to retrain a frustrated tendon, prioritizing athlete satisfaction (analysis). The first exercise that we are about to show you directly loads the peroneal tendons and associated muscles, which is why it is the most important. To the best of our knowledge, no studies have been done comparing different forms of exercise therapy for peroneal tendinitis in runners, but when they do this study, it will most likely be one of the first exercises they try.
Do these exercises 3 times a week. The load should be heavy enough to make it difficult to complete 10 repetitions. 3 sets of 10 repetitions of each exercise is a good place to start.
Exercise 1: Ankle Eversions with Resistance Band
This exercise loads the peroneal tendon more effectively. Be sure to move using your ankle muscles, not just turning your knee. You should feel it on the outside of your leg and you will probably feel the load on your peroneal tendons.
Exercise 2: Ankle Inversions with Resistance Bands
This exercise strengthens the muscles on the other side of the leg. Since both sets of these small muscles work together, strength in both is critical.
Exercise 3: Weighted Calf Raises
Expanding the strength of the lower leg is the best way to prevent problems like peroneal tendonitis in the future. This is the best exercise to expand your leg strength. Simple but extremely effective.
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