The Foot and Leg Muscle/Tendon Connection

To better understand foot and leg muscle/tendon injuries, it is important to appreciate the basic elements that enable your body parts to move. To ensure your body moves smoothly with a minimum of friction, muscles are enveloped in a slippery skin like tissue called fascia. The ends of muscles are connected to tendons which attach to bones. Muscle cells have the ability to regenerate and are naturally very elastic. Tendon cells regenerate very slowly and are very inelastic. Therefore, the only natural way to reduce the tension on a tight tendon is to improve the strength and flexibility of the related and opposing muscles.

Muscles cannot push, they can only pull and therefore they often work in pairs as opposing muscles. By pulling on different sides of a bone they enable a joint to open or close. Extensor foot muscles allow your toes and feet to extend up and generally run from the top of the toes and feet and up the front or outside of the legs. The flexor muscles allow your toes and feet to flex down and generally run along the bottom of your feet and up the back of the legs.

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