Stretches and Exercises to help with Peroneal Tendonitis
What to do when Peroneal Tendonitis Starts.
5 Stretches and Exercises for Peroneal Tendonitis
You are in the thick of high mileage training for your big marathon. Training is going well but you begin to feel an old familiar twinge of pain in the outer edge of your foot with each foot strike. The pain can radiate under your foot into your big toe and also up the outer edge of your calf.. The pain is not intense but its noticeable enough to make you wince at times. You know what’s going on because you’ve had it before . . . peroneal tendonitis. This is a nagging injury that can plague runners and cyclists. This is an overuse problem and that can afflict runners and cyclists and it is not much fun once it becomes a full flare up. I have not had a recurrence since 2013 but have been training very hard over the last year so definitely need to keep an eye on this. One of the reasons why this injury happens to me is due to my foot pronation so I need to be extra careful that I am wearing the best running shoes for my foot. Also doing much of my running on the shoulder of the road where the road has a small slant affects the way my foot-strikes. The repetitive motion of can be problematic when always running on an uneven road surface.
What is Peroneal Tendonitis?
The, “peroneal tendons are strong, cord-like structures that link the peroneal muscles of the calf to the bones of the foot. Tendonitis occurs when microtears cause tendon damage and inflammation, leading to pain and difficulty walking” (SOURCE: Healthline). There are two tendons that can be affected, the peroneus brevis and the peroneus longus. Tendonitis can be felt in the calf, the side of the foot and even under the ball of the foot.
Injury?! Hopefully not!
As an experienced marathoner now with around 12 or 13 marathons and trail marathons plus two Half Ironmans and countless other races under my belt, I have become much better at listening to my body. After the 2013 Boston Marathon I ended up in a boot for 6 weeks because I had peroneal tendonitis that I did not take care of when it started. Instead of listening to my body I pushed myself too far and even raced a long distance trail race only 3 weeks after Boston even though my foot was hurting with every foot-strike.
Stupid . . . yes . . . but as every athlete knows it can be hard to say no to a race or a run or a bike ride even though you know you should. So here I am now getting ready for Boston and I am feeling some of these twinges in my foot again. Ugh! I need to be super careful and take care of my body now so I don’t end up in the downward spiral of injury again. Another confession: I hardly stretch even though I know I should. I know that stretching especially after long training runs is one of the keys to preventing injury and.
So in hopes of warding off full blown injury I am going to be stretching and you should too!
5 stretches and exercises to help with Peroneal Tendonitis
- Not an exercise or a stretch at all but you definitely need to R.I.C.E. if you feel like peroneal tendonitis has become an issue! Rest, Ice, Compress, Elevate!
- Towel stretch: Wrap a towel around your toes and the ball of your foot when you are in a seated position. Pull back and hold ensuring that you are feeling a stretch. Repeat as necessary.
- Calf Stretches! Tight Calf muscles are often a root cause of running injuries. Place hands in front of you on the wall with one leg out further behind you so that you are able to initiate a calf stretch. Repeat stretching as needed.
- Balance exercises are helpful in strengthening around the peroneal tendons. Single leg balance exercises can be done on a BOSU ball or simply on a flat surface with or without a resistance band.
- Step Ups: These can easily be done on a curb or your front steps. Stand on step with leg/foot that is bothering you. Keep other foot flat on the floor. While keeping good posture put weight on injured leg and step up off of other foot. Slowly return to starting position and repeat.
*Disclaimer: I am not a personal trainer or a Doctor. These stretches and exercises were learned through personal experience.
Have you ever had an overuse injury from running? Have you ever experienced Peroneal Tendonitis?
24 responses
Comments are closed.
I have had peroneal tendonitis and it SUCKS. I was living in NYC at the time and couldn’t have run across the street to avoid getting hit! The only positive that came from it was my love of the spin bike and reading the Count of Monte Christo 😀
Susie @ Suzlyfe recently posted…Anesthesia Drunk (Egg Retrieval #2)
So many people overlook their calves as a source of pain for the knee and all kinds of things! But they get so tight, especially if you do lots of hills and trials. Great tips
OH YES I HAVE. Peroneal tendonitis has the dubious distinction of being the first running injury I ever had, and it has flared up many times throughout my life. After my daughter was born it came back, and I went through an entire year where I couldn’t get rid of it. I took time off, I crossed-trained, I iced, I stretched, I strengthened, I changed my form to midfoot striking instead of heel striking… and here is what finally worked for me. I increased my cadence to 180 spm, and the tendonitis went away and never came back. I still run with a clip-on metronome a couple days a week (when I’m doing speed work my cadence is naturally high so I don’t need it) just to make sure my cadence doesn’t slip back down. I set the metronome to 60 and take three steps per beep. I’ve heard that this also can heal/prevent other injuries like shin splints. And FYI, the cadence that your garmin tells you is not accurate- get a metronome! I hope this helps others, because it definitely helped me.
My husband struggles with this all the time too. He’s not a runner but the cycling gets him every summer. I will have to show him all these stretches so hopefully this summer is pain free for him.
These are some great stretches and exercises to help prevent injuries. Thanks for sharing!
Great advice! My mom is a runner and would love these tips!
Erika recently posted…Best Eyelash Perm Kit
Oh my goodness I have definitely had this before. Those tile stretches do wonders. It”s all about making sure those muscles are working and firing properly. Great tips friend
Lol I mean towel stretches
Yes, stretching is so important! These are great tips for stretching and exercising!
Taylor Kiser recently posted…15 Minute Full Body Workout and Staying Full All Day
Stretching is so important! Thanks for all the helpful tips, and such great info on this!
Stretching is so important and this doesn’t sound like fun so I hope to never deal with it.
I love stretching, so I’ll definitely be adding in some of these as preventative measures!
Tight calves can cause so many problems. Great tips, especially those stretches!
Laura @ This Runner’s Recipes recently posted…How to Recover After a Half Marathon
I never realized that this could be my problem! Thank you so much for sharing this info!!
Thank you for posting this- how timely. I have this now and am doing most of these exercises, among others. Some of the resistance band exercises are great for strengthening this tendon.
I’m going on four weeks of no running and beginning to get really worried about any Spring racing plans, and it sucks. The pain was so unbearable, and my doctor didn’t want to give me any medicine for it. It’s finally subsided to a dull ache, but I’m still too scared to run on it and risk it.
Anyway, I hope you can stay injury free in your journey to Boston. I went to a specialty shoe store and got fitted for a lateral wedge orthotic that has taken the pressure off my peroneal tendon to make it a bit more comfortable to walk. If you haven’t looked into orthotics, it might be a good idea, too.
I’m just glad to find someone else who has dealt with this and know I’m not alone.
I have definitely had overuse injuries, especially when I ran cross country in college! Rest is always the best cure!
Laura recently posted…Gluten-Free Spinach Oatmeal Pancakes
I am having severe pain and swelling that my PT thinks is peroneal tendonitis. Since the pain has gotten worse, I’d like to have some imaging done to rule out a stress fracture. I’m sidelined for 2 half marathons and hope to be able to complete my first half ironman in a month!!!
Trying to do the right thing with no running but it is hard when the last 22 months have been about training for this race 🙁
Calf stretches are one of the best ways to avoid injuries while running. I have the hardest time running if I neglect my stretches before.
Yes and when your calves get tight it can definitely lead to injury and quickly!
I love the towel stretching! I usually experience calf pain. Thanks for sharing!