What Is Peroneal Tendonitis?

Peroneal tendonitis is the “old school” term for Peroneal Tendinopathy. Studies have shown there is no inflammation or “itis” in the peroneal Tendon. The injury is rather a response in the Peroneal Tendon or outside ankle tendon from doing too much exercise too soon.  

What Causes Peroneal Tendonitis?

Common examples of how you can injure your outside Peroneal Ankle Tendon include 

• Walking excessively in a pair of thongs or shoes you aren’t really used to. Especially on the Bondi to Bronte walk, when on holiday in places like Europe (uneven paths) and New York (massive increase in step count per day).

• Running too far in shoes that are very worn out on the outside of the back heel of your shoe

• Running in new orthotics that are too supportive

• Running in really supportive shoes and orthotics

• Rolling your ankle and the strange walk you develop if you are limping because of pain or stiffness 

With a combination of identifying which of the above needs to be fixed, some very specific Physiotherapy exercises and a change in the amount of exercise you are currently doing, a lot of the above pain can be fixed fairy quickly (unless it has been going on for months or years but again it would be very rare we can’t help you). 

What is  the Peroneal tendon?

The Peroneal tendon is the end bit of the Peroneal muscles located on the outside and front of your outer shin bone (fibula). The 3 Peroneal muscles turn the foot out, up  and keep your heel bone stable when standing, walking or running. When the Peroneal muscles get tight for any of the above reasons the end part or tendon that wraps around the outside ankle bone compresses against the ankle bone or where it attaches onto the outside of your foot. This can be really painful if you have Peroneal Tendonitis (tendinopathy). 

What are the Symptoms of Peroneal Tendonitis?

People with Peroneal Tendinopathy will often complain of:

• Pain over the outside of the ankle and or front of the outside ankle with walking or running that continues to get worse

• Pain during and/or after squats, burpees and HIIT classes such as F45

• Pain with turning the foot down and in

• A feeling like you are about to roll your ankle or your ankle feels weak 

How is Peroneal Tendonitis Diagnosed?

We will run a series of tests to see how your Peroneal tendon responds to loading activities. Peroneal tendonitis has a specific pattern. You can actually get other conditions on the outside ankle such as a cuboid subluxation, stress fracture, Peroneal nerve entrapment, Peroneal tendon tearing or Peroneal tenosynovitis (swelling of the sheath around the tendon). 

Don’t worry we will be able to help you with any of the above!

Peroneal Tendonitis Treatment

If it has just happened we encourage you to not run until you see us. If you can get to this injury before doing too much more running we can fast track you back to your training program a lot quicker.

If it has just happened we need to give you specific exercises to help settle the pain down and let the tendon cells go back to normal.

We will quite often tape your ankle, foot or tendon to reduce your pain so you can go back to train sooner.

Finally we will normally get you to modify your shoes to offload the tendon.

If it has been there for months or years the treatment involves a few things

• Are the muscles of your foot and ankle not working as a team? If so we need to help balancing them out 

• What distance can you currently run or walk without pain? How sore is the outside of your ankle the following morning out of 10? The sooner we can get you under a 3/10 the quicker you are back running more

• How weak is the tendon and how much stronger do we need it to get in order for you to get back to your previous training level

These are the questions we ask in order to construct a program to get you out of pain.

You can see more about the treatments we use to treat ankle pain here.

We offer a free 10 minute phone consultation to see if we can help you. Simply click HERE and write “Free 10 Min Consultation” and your preferred method (Phone or Email) in the subject and one of our expert Physio’s will get back to you as soon as possible. No obligation to make an appointment.

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