Fibula Musculature
The fibula consists of three muscles, the long (M. fibularis longus), the short (M. fibularis brevis) and the so-called third fibula muscle (M. fibularis tertius). The long fibula muscle has its origin at the head of the fibula. From there it moves along the outside of the lower leg.
Just above the outer ankle, the muscle runs out into a long tendon. This runs behind the lower end of the fibula and from there across under the arch of the foot, stabilizing it. The tendon finally starts at the metatarsal of the big toe and the sphenoid bone of the tarsal.
The short fibula muscle originates in the lower third of the fibula shaft and is attached to the metatarsal of the fifth toe with its tendon. Both muscles serve to stretch the foot downwards (plantar flexion) and to tilt it inwards (pronation). The third fibula muscle is actually not an independent muscle, but a splitting off of the long toe extensor (M. extensor digitorum longus). It pulls in the lower third of the lower leg from the front of the fibula to the metatarsal bone of the fifth toe and supports the lifting of the foot (dorsal extension) and tilting inwards (pronation). (taken from the front):
- Fibula (fibula)
- Shinbone (Tibia)
- Hock leg (talus)
- Syndesmosis
Pain in the fibula
Pain in the fibula can have various causes. One of the main causes is a fracture of the fibula. Other sources of pain can be the fibula muscles and the fibular nerve (N. fibularis communis).
The latter is one of the two main branches of the sciatic nerve. It runs along the outside of the knee along the head of the fibula and is very susceptible to irritation and inflammation due to its close proximity to the bone. This usually manifests itself in pain directly above the head of the fibula, which radiates downwards, as well as in sensations such as tingling in the lower leg.
The therapy is usually carried out with painkillers and medication to combat the inflammation. If the pain emanates from the fibula muscles, the cause is usually tension. This is often caused by a malposition of the legs, e.g. knock-knees. The tension is usually palpable from the outside as a clear hardening of the muscles.Physiotherapeutic exercises and massages to relax the muscles as well as training to improve posture and correct malpositions are recommended as further therapy.
