The Missing Link in Ankle Rehab: Training the Peroneals

One thing that is almost always missed in ankle rehab is the training of the peroneal muscle group on the outside of the shin.

Because these muscles get trained so well during dynamic movement, we don’t tend to pay a lot of attention to them. And we don’t need to. They just sit there, cocontracting with the other shank muscles, saving you from ankle sprains over and over again. 

But when we are rehabbing, the “ignore and hope for the best” strategy doesn’t work very well. The peroneals need a lot of focus! Especially because so many clients’ ankles get completely stuck in either a pronated or supinated position after chronic or recurring ankle/foot issues. 

So, here’s a simple (not easy) movement that we use in DGR to get the ankle joint moving again and give these muscles no choice but to load.

Eversion To Inversion Step:

The knee moves outside the (left) ankle, the tibia internally rotates and the rearfoot everts. This can only be done by actively shortening the lateral shin muscles.

Here, the knee moves inside the (left) ankle, the tibia externally rotates, and the rearfoot inverts. This will put some length through the lateral shin muscles. 

The ‘Eversion To Inversion’ step is one of the 5 movements we have added to our Foot, Ankle & Achilles Program. Over 5,000 people have already bought FAA and have vowed that it’s a game-changer. Check it out.

This sort of movement is often overlooked by a lot of coaches and therapists but by incorporating movements like the Eversion to Inversion Step, you can restore ankle mobility, improve stability, and prevent recurring injuries. So, get started.