General information
The peroneal tendons are the muscle tendons of the two lower leg muscles Musculus peroneus brevis et longus, today better known as Musculus fibularis longus et brevis. In the peroneal tendon syndrome, an inflammation of these muscles occurs, to be more precise, an inflammation of the tendons (tendinitis). The cause of peroneal tendon inflammation is usually permanent overexertion or overloading of the calf muscles.
But even in inexperienced athletes, who do a lot of sport from one day to the next and strain their calf muscles in the process, the muscle can become overly irritated, which in turn leads to the inflammation of individual fibers as well as the tendons of the muscle. Especially patients who do not do warm-up exercises are therefore often affected by such a peroneal tendon syndrome. If, without the necessary warm-up, there is suddenly too much tension on the muscles, for example during a sprint, this can lead to some muscle fibers tearing due to the acute strain.
In addition, the sensitive tendon may suddenly be pulled hard over the bone. If this happens a few times, an inflammatory reaction occurs in the area of the tendon or the ankle joint, which is associated with swelling and effusion, which should protect the tendon from being stressed again by the strong pull over the bone. Another cause of inflammation of the peroneal tendon is the wearing of incorrect or unsuitable shoes.
Particularly when running for long distances, care should be taken to ensure that the foot is embedded in a suitable shoe and that it is not constricted or additionally stressed by the shoe. A badly fitting shoe can lead to incorrect posture, which ultimately leads to the lower leg muscles being incorrectly loaded and thus, for example, the peroneal muscles (fibularis) being overstressed. This can then lead to an inflammation of the peroneal tendon.
Anatomical conditions can also lead to this, especially the so-called bow legs, in which the knees are too far outwards, similar to a rider. Here, the malpositioning of the legs can lead to a permanent overloading of the muscle tendons, resulting in an inflammation of the ankle joint. This then leads to frequent inflammation in the area of the tendon.
Thus, anatomical malpositions can also be responsible for an inflammation of the peroneal tendon. In some cases, the so-called peroneal tendon syndrome is also chronic, which makes it difficult to find an exact cause for the pain. In this case, the patient should concentrate mainly on the therapy and the relief of the pain.