Peroneal Tendonitis Massage At Home

Whether you’re incredibly active or a runner or athlete, hearing the word inflammation can ruin anyone’s day. Peroneal tendonitis, in particular, can be a real drag on hitting a new PR or performing your best at work or home. 

Despite being an incredibly common condition, the good news is that most people can fully recover within a month. In addition to rest, physical therapy and sometimes medication peroneal tendonitis massage can help you get back at it quickly. 

In this article, we’ll walk you through step by step how to use massage to fast track your recovery efforts and get you back to 100% in conjunction with other treatment options. 

Rapid relief with peroneal tendonitis massage

For your massage efforts to be most effective, it’s important to first understand what peroneal tendonitis is and how it affects you.

“Peroneal tendonitis occurs when the peroneal tendons become inflamed. This happens when there is an increased load and overuse of the tendons, leading to them rubbing on the bone.” says Medical News Today.  

When left untreated or “pushed through”, the continued friction causes the tendons to become inflamed causing pain and discomfort. Runners and professional athletes are especially prone to this condition, but even working on your feet all day can lead to a diagnosis. 

Fortunately, massage can be incredibly effective in reducing inflammation and helping you heal quickly. 

A holistic approach to massage includes a variety of areas on your body, including your feet, calf, and leg. 

Let’s take a look.

Foot massage  

As with plantar fasciitis, foot massage can be a powerful way to reduce inflammation and pain. And while peroneal tendonitis is not the same condition, many of the massage techniques used for plantar fasciitis are also helpful for PT. 

Rolling the bottom of your feet with a lacrosse ball for several minutes a day, can be a great way to reduce the tension on your foot. In addition, using a scraper can further provide relief. 

Here’s an excellent video of how to massage your feet effectively, skip to 7:04. 

Calf and leg massage

In addition to massaging your feet multiple times throughout the week, paying particular attention to your calf messages can also help provide relief. Deep massage to your calves have been proven to help reduce heel pain in conjunction with other massage techniques.  

A study by NCBI found that calf massage, “is effective in improving the flexibility and balance ability of the ankle joint. Massage applied to the calf seems to be a useful method that can be easily applied to those who feel fatigue in their ankles, or to elderly people who have diminished balancing abilities due to problems with their plantar-flexion torque.“

Here’s a helpful instruction video we put together on how to effectively massage your calves. 

When massaging your calves, it shouldn’t hurt, although you should feel pressure throughout the process.

Use scraping to supercharge your results 

While using the tools you have available to you can be helpful when performing your massage, we’re big fans of scraping. Our Eclipse Muscle Scraper is designed specifically to be used on calves and your feet. Created to fit comfortably in one hand, the Eclipse gives you more leverage to direct the right amount of pressure exactly where you need it most, while reducing hand fatigue. 

Spend about 30-60 seconds scraping your calves and repeat the process 2-3 times. 

Peroneal tendonitis exercises and stretches

Although daily massage can provide instant relief for most, you can supercharge your results by incorporating a variety of exercises and stretches into your muscle recovery routine as well.

Heel raises 

• Stand behind a table or chair for support while on a flat surface with your feet pointed towards. 
• Raise up on to your toes lifting your heels from the ground.
• Hold this position for 2-3 seconds. 
• Lower your heels back to the ground to complete the exercise. 

Do this for 3 sets of 10 repetitions. 

Heel raises help strengthen your calf which reduces strain during exercise. 

Chair stretch

Another helpful and that’s a rather easy stretch to perform, this involves using a chair to stretch your leg muscles. As shown in the video below. Skip to 4:04.

• Put the leg you wish to stretch in the back, and the other leg in front. 
• Keep your feet pointing forward at all times.
• Bend the front knee slightly, so that you feel a stretch of your back leg.
• Hold this for about 30 seconds and repeat 3-4 times. 

In the same video, AskDoctor Jo explores a few additional stretches you may find helpful as well. As always, don’t push it too hard! While you should feel the stretch, if you feel pain we recommend you stop, or try a different stretch. 

Ultimately, stretches that target your calves and feet are a great way to stay loose and strengthen the important muscles that support your body and reduce any potential swelling on the outer ankle when walking or exercising. Feel free to experiment with a few different calf and foot stretches to find a routine that works for you. 

Even more relief for peroneal tendonitis at home 

As we’ve stated before, at Sidekick we believe a holistic approach to recovery is crucial. When it comes to your body recovery, there’s virtually never a one fit solution. 

With peroneal tendonitis, you’ll want to experiment with other treatment options as well in addition to stretching and massage. 

Here are a few additional solutions to help you recover from peroneal tendonitis. 

Ankle braces

Ankle braces are a low cost solution to help support your ankle and protect it from further injury throughout the day. While not a treatment in itself, it can help ensure you don’t further aggregate your injury.

A study by the Journal of Foot and Ankle Research observed that, “a general protective effect of ankle braces with larger reductions in inversion angles and velocities in participants with [Chronic ankle instability] CAI than in healthy controls. This may explain why braces seem to reduce ankle sprains mainly in people with previous ankle injuries.“

Of course, if you’re an athlete for example, an ankle brace can only do so much. You’ll still need to rest and treat your peroneal tendonitis carefully, which may mean taking some time off from your intense workout routine. 

Apply ice and heat 

Applying ice and heat to your feet is yet another tool you have at your disposal. Depending on whether your pain is acute or chronic affects the effectiveness of each method. 

Mayo Clinic shares some great rules of thumb to consider for tendonitis:

“If you experience a sudden injury to a tendon, ice can reduce pain and swelling. Ice the area for 15 to 20 minutes every 4 to 6 hours — and put a towel or cloth between the ice pack and your skin.

Heat may be more helpful for chronic tendon pain, often called tendinopathy or tendinosis. Heat can increase blood flow, which may help promote healing of the tendon. Heat also relaxes muscles, which can relieve pain.”

As with the other recommendations we covered, experiment with both hot and cold applications to see what provides the most relief for you. 

Try new shoes and orthotics 

Last but not least, when it comes to recovering from peroneal tendonitis, consider exploring wearing custom shoes or orthotics. 

In an in-depth study on braces and orthotics of foot and ankle disorders, Sage Journals concluded:

 Different foot inserts, orthoses, braces, and shoe modifications can be powerful tools for the conservative management of a variety of foot and ankle pathologies that compromise joint function, motor function, sensation/proprioception, and skin integrity and predispose to deformities… The goals of treatment using orthotics and footwear modifications are to attempt restoration of normal function as well as to try to prevent further progression of the disease process affecting the foot and/or ankle. This can be achieved by designing orthotics to offload high-pressure areas, minimize shear forces, cushion sites of tenderness, correct flexible deformities, or provide foot control and support.

Choosing shoes with a high heel to toe drop and neutral to high arch support are good starting points. Additionally, shoes with added ankle support can help further prevent injury and inflammation. 

While orthotics aren’t as commonly used for peroneal tendonitis as they are plantar fasciitis, they can still provide some relief in many cases. Look for orthotics that are designed to relieve pressure of your foot and reduce incorrect movement while walking or exercising. 

Conclusion 

Although peroneal tendonitis can be painful and inconvenient, recovery is often quick all things considered. By following the tips and suggestions above, you can work towards healing at home and continue to work towards your fitness goals in no time. And of course, if you want the best massage for your feet and calves, consider ordering an Eclipse.