Intro to the muscle.
I wrote about the gastrocnemius muscle a few weeks ago. That’s the large bulging calf 
muscle. Put your hand on the upper part of your lower leg. Now push your foot down. That bulging muscle is your gastrocnemius. Now slide your hand forward, The next muscle you feel is your peroneal muscle, or more technically speaking, your peroneals. The peroneals are made up of the peroneus longus and peroneus brevis.
They originate from the top of your fibula (longus) and slightly down the fibula (brevis) and insert at the first metatarsal and medial cuniform bones.
Their job is to:
– evert the foot – turn your baby toe upward and toward yourself. 
– plantar flex the foot – turn your foot upwards.
What can go wrong?
– Tendonitis- usually at the lower end going into the foot. This is an overuse injury.
– Muscle strain, usually toward the middle of the muscle. This is an overuse injury.
– An ankle sprain where you roll your foot inward. This is normally from some form of accident or misstep.
What to do if things go wrong.
– It is best to seek medical attention if you have sprained your ankle.
– Should you be suffering from an overuse injury try the following:
- RICE. Rest, Ice, Compress & Elevate. With regard to compression, in this instance it is best to use a long compression sock, as opposed to a calf sleeve.
- Get the area correctly taped with kinesiology tape. It is a good idea to shave the outside of the leg before going for your application.
- You need to get mobility back into the area. This is going to happen via stretching and
massage. The stretch looks something like this. Please start gently. This is an overuse injury and took time to develop, so it will take time to heal as well. Give me a call if I can help with massage/tape application.
- Get the muscle strengthened. Standing on one leg while rocking from side to side on the foot will help. You can also do that on balance board. Your gym instructor will be able to give you some exercises in this regard.
Important points.
– Xterra runners face a greater risk when it comes to both spraining or overusing this structure.
– Old shoes that are worn on the outside will put the runner at risk.
– Cyclists and swimmers should not have issues with this structure.
Hope this helps.
Regards,
Mike
