The peroneal tendon runs along the outside portion of the lower leg, loops under the prominent ankle bone, and inserts itself into the sole of the foot. The tendon can be damaged in the event of an ankle sprain common to most team sport athletes. Improving the strength of the tendon is of primary importance in both rehabilitation and prevention of ankle injuries.
Improve Mobility
The peroneal muscle group serves to pull the foot's surface away from the midline of the body, a process called eversion, and to extend the ankle when attempting to stand on your tip toes, called plantar flexion. In sporting activities, the landing process from a jump or a running stride forces the muscles to contract while elongating, which loads the peroneal tendons and makes them more powerful. For this mechanism to work effectively, proper mobility of the foot and ankle are essential says physical therapist, Dr. Charlie Weingroff. Perform the leg swing to open up your ankle joints. Support yourself against a wall with one leg straight with the heel planted on the floor. Swing your free leg across your body gently, driving your foot on the ground into eversion and inversion, helping to improve mobility in all three planes of motion, which will help increase the loading capacity and strength of the peroneal group.
Strengthen Your Peroneals
Strengthening the muscles attached to the tendons is essential to improve the loading strength of the peroneal tendons. By actively contracting more powerfully after training, the peroneal muscles can put more tension on the tendons, providing more stability and strength. Perform band heel raises by attaching a band to a fixed point to the side of your working foot and wrapping the free end around your foot. With the band pulling your foot away, begin performing heel raises by rising onto your toes and preventing the band from pulling your foot toward it. Repeat for sets of up to 15 repetitions on both sides. This mechanism allows you to train the peroneal group per their functional action in propulsion. Likewise, you must strengthen the peroneal tendons in their role as shock absorbers using the loaded heel drop exercise, which has been shown to improve tensile strength of the peroneal tendons says Peter Brukner, O.A.C., and Dr. Karim Khan, authors of "Clinical Sports Medicine." Stand on a step while holding a dumbbell in your right hand, and do a heel raise on both feet. At the top, remove your left foot, and over six seconds, lower your heel until it can drop no more. Repeat for two sets of 15 repetitions on both sides. Perform your strengthening routine up to three days per week, in addition to your already scheduled training exercises.
References
- Super Human Radio.com: Counter-Intuitive Rehabilitation; Charlie Weingroff, DPT; Aug. 5, 2010
- "Clinical Sports Medicine"; Peter Brukner, O.A.C. and Karim Khan, M.D.; 2001
