In the case of peroneal tendon inflammation, it is necessary to relieve the strain, take a break from training – or to carry out a compensatory training, cooling and not irritating the tendon any further. The healing of tendons is quite lengthy due to their poor blood circulation. It is important not to train further into the pain and inflammation. Chronic inflammation causes the tendon to lose its elasticity, which can have a further effect on the tension of the entire muscle chain.
Physiotherapy/treatment
The physiotherapeutic intervention of a peroneal tendon inflammation is based on the different stages of the body’s own wound healing as well as the individual symptoms, condition and requirements of the patient. Especially athletes are usually very motivated and interested in returning to sports quickly. Part of the therapy is the education about the adherence to regeneration times.
The wound healing of all structures in the body follows a similar pattern, with times varying according to the structure and state of health of the patient. 1. wound healing begins with the inflammatory phase, which lasts only a few days and is easily recognizable by the classic signs of inflammation: redness, swelling, heat, pain and functional impairment. Here the patient pauses, is cooled and the foot is relieved.
2. then follows the proliferation phase, in which new fibers are formed or the injured are repaired. In physiotherapy, passive and active mobilizations of the ankle and knee joint (both adjacent joints) are performed simultaneously in order to align the new fibers in their physiological position by means of light tensile and compressive loads. The muscle bellies are loosened by various measures, such as light stretching, massages, fascial techniques and heat applications.
Light strengthening exercises without too much strain can already be performed, but the focus is still on pain, which cannot be ignored in any way. If an exercise or measure hurts, this is a sign to lower the level again and give the structures more time. Furthermore, the use of ultrasound and electrotherapy has proven to be effective in tendon healing, which also has an attenuating effect on the perception of pain.
The last phase of wound healing is the consolidation phase. The pain should have largely disappeared. In this last phase the newly formed fibers and fresh tissue increase in strength.
It can and should be fully loaded again in order to set stimuli for which the fibers are needed. The ultimate goal of this phase is to return to the old functionality. The focus is on active exercises, some of which are briefly described below. The article Torn ligament in the foot may also be of interest to you in this respect.
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