The peroneal muscles (aka the fibularis muscles) are another one of those muscles that many of us do not know even exist but are so important to our everyday lives.

What are the peroneal/fibularis muscles?

They run along the outside of our low leg bones (the fibula) and are made up of three muscles:

The peroneus longus,
The Brevis, and,
The Teritus.[i]

Photo by Mohammed Haneefa Nizamudeen/iStock / Getty Images

What do they do?

Together these muscles are responsible for

Helping to stabilise our ankles,[ii]
Turning our feet outwards (like when doing the ‘duck walk’) (eversion),
Helping to point our toes (plantar flexion), and[iii],
Helping to lift our toes/feet upward (dorsi flexion).[iv]

Because of this they are used heavily in any activity that involves changing directions such as:

Running,
Badminton,
Football,
Skiing, and
Squash.[v]

What happens if I have tight peroneal/fibularis muscles?

When our peroneal muscles are tight they can cause,

Weak or unstable ankles,
Frequent ankle sprains,
An inability to lift our feet when walking causing them to drag along,
Side-to-side rocking of the foot when walking, and
Weakness when pushing down through the toes.[vi]

Photo by structuresxx/iStock / Getty Images

Do I have tight peroneal/fibularis muscles?

Here at Design Your Life, we seek to use science to give you new perspectives and information to help you design the life you want, today. However, we would always recommend that you seek professional medical and fitness advice for your own individual body.

The best way is to do a functional screening and muscle length test with a physiotherapist or personal trainer who is trained to undertake such as assessment.

So I have tight or weak peroneal/fibularis muscles, what can I do about it?

Mobility

Inversion/Eversion

Sit in a chair with your foot crossed over the opposite knee (figure 4 position).
Hold the bottom of the foot with your hand and tilt the sole of the foot ward the floor and then toward the ceiling.
Repeat 5-10 times.
Repeat on the other side.

https://thumbs.gfycat.com/FemaleHardCod-mobile.mp4

https://www.healthline.com/health/fitness-exercise/peroneal-tendonitis-stretches#eversion-and-inversion

Self-Myofascial Release / Self-Massage

Peroneal Foam Roll

Place the left leg in front of your and bent with the rear leg straight behind you (like pigeon pose).
Place the roller under the left lower leg (to the side of the shin bone).
Roll back and forward.
Repeat on the other side.

https://youtu.be/g38uNfDGVwI?t=167

Yoga

Tree Pose

Stand with your feet together.
Place lift your left leg and place your pointed left toes next to your right foot.
If you feel balanced, rotate the knee outward as far as you can while keeping your hips facing forward.
If you feel balanced, you can lift your left foot so the sole of the left foot is on the inner right calf.
If you feel balanced, you can left this further so the sole of the left foot is on the inner right thing (do NOT place it on the knee area).