Strength training for Peroneals
Hey Dorothy…..
It looks like you have gotten some great responses and tremendous insight into the peroneals. My advice will continue to build upon those before me.
The foot and ankle complex is such a delicate area of the body to work with given that we are on them for so much each day. Particularly the peroneals, which act like a stirup that wrap around our lower leg and head into our toes to control the arches with each step that we take. Muscle imbalances somewhere in the body create a foot and lose its arch. The orthotics are a good idea because the ground reaction forces transmit energy back up through the entire body. Without them we had an ankle that flattened on impact, making the foot turn out, and the lower and upper leg turn in. Obviously that is a potential problem that the orthotics will help with. Just remember that the body is a chain that is adaptable.
With the orthotics in we still have muscles that havent been used properly and are at the incorrect length-tension relationship, meaning that corrective exercises to strengthen, stretch and foam rolling should a major part of a daily routine to reinforce what good the orthotics will provide.
hope thus does a little something to rejnforce the others,
Jeremy
Good question; several interesting answers. With regard to the kinesiology of peroneal contraction keep in mind that the peroneals (peroneus longus & peroneus brevis) are interesting because they have plantar, lateral and dorsal pedal attachments. With regard to its pedal attachment, the peroneus longus muscle can be a secondary mover in dorsiflexion at the ankle (the anterior tibialis being a prime mover.) So, in addition to the exercises suggested which primarily overload ankle plantar flexion, have your client also perform dorsiflexion against resistance. I think that one of the best exercises for this is to resist the movement using theraband, or some other elastic resistance band. Wrap the band around the base of a immovable machine, couch or heavy chair. In a seated position facing the machine, or whatever, have your client plantar flex one ankle to full ROM plantar flexion. Wrap the band around the dorsal surface of the foot near the metatarsal-phalangeal joints. Have your client perform a warm-up set of full ROM dorsiflexion against the resistance band. Then, with at least a minute of rest between sets, use a resistance band that will challenge your client with 2-3 sets of dorsiflexion to 12-15 RM. Show your client how to focus the movement on the lateral side of the foot to fully engage the muscles of the tibial/fibular anterior compartment. Switch ankles and do the same on the other leg. I used this exercise regularly with the collegiate Nordic ski team I coached when the diagonal glide, not skating, was the typical stride.
Hope this helps. Take care.
EVERYTHING NEEDS TO BE TRAINED! But usually you can incorporate a number the stability and control muscles into a complex/multijoint movement.
AND EVERY CLIENT SHOULD BE STARTED OFF WITH THE FOUNDATION MOVEMENTS. Which are all of the movements naturally occuring at every joint. And the goal is to achieve balance and a normal ROM at each joint. Strengthening muscles around a mobility compromised joint can be unwise.
If you are interested in discussing this more, get in touch with me through my website www.hawaiifitnessacademy.com or my IDEA profile.