Also known as the fibularis muscles, the peroneal muscles are a group of muscles that are located near the calf muscles. In such, this group of muscles is detrimental to movement of the ankle, especially when raising and lowering the foot onto the toes. This is especially important for activities such as walking, running and most physical activity.
Strengthening the peroneal muscles is a great way to improve personal ability throughout such physical activity as it can stop the muscles from tiring quickly, allowing for greater physical endurance during sport and recreation. However, strengthening these muscles does not just improve overall performance. Exercising the peroneal muscles can have great impacts on balance, reduction of aches and pains (especially a reduction in the likelihood of ankle sprains) and agility.
So how can I strengthen my peroneal muscles?
Sitting on the floor with your legs out straight in front of you, place your feet into the inside gap of a chair's legs. Push outward with your feet against the chair legs, holding for 5 seconds. Repeat this 5-10 times.
Using ankle weights, lay on your side with your feet on top of one another. Tilt the top foot so that your toes are pointing towards the ceiling. Make sure to keep your ankles and heels as close together as possible. Hold this for 10 seconds and repeat 5-10 times.
Placing a small ball between the ankle joints with the feet hip width apart, slightly squash the ball when the ankle is in neutral position. Push your ankles in towards the ball, creating a resistance between yourself and the ball. For more difficulty and strengthening, slowly rise onto your toes, hold you 3 seconds, and return back to a neutral position.
Here at Bankstown Physiotherapy we believe it is important to work on constant improvement and personal strengthening. For more information, visit our website, or call us at 9793 3119.