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Fibularis brevisMusculus fibularis brevis

Shorter fibular muscle lying under fibularis longus on the outer leg; it turns the sole outwards and helps point the foot.

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LatinMusculus fibularis brevis
Origin
  • Lower two-thirds of the lateral surface of the fibula
  • Septa between it and the muscles at the front and back of the leg
Insertion
  • Tuberosity on the lateral side of the base of the fifth metatarsal
Action
  • Everts the foot (turns the sole outwards)
  • Assists plantarflexion of the ankle (pointing the foot)
  • Steadies the leg over the foot, especially when standing on one leg
NerveSuperficial fibular (peroneal) nerve (L4–S1)
NameLatin fibula, 'brooch pin', and brevis, 'short' — the shorter of the fibular muscles.

Palpation

  1. Client side-lying with the leg to be worked on top.
  2. Find the lateral malleolus (outer ankle bone) and slide your fingers a hand's width up the outer side of the leg.
  3. Feel on either side of the fibularis longus tendon, which lies over the brevis here.
  4. Follow the brevis tendon from behind the outer ankle bone forward to the bump at the base of the fifth metatarsal, on the outer edge of the foot.
  5. Ask the client to turn the sole outwards against light resistance; the tendon stands out in front of and below the outer ankle bone.

Landmarks: Lateral malleolus

Fibularis brevis lies under Fibularis longus on the outer side of the leg. In the lower half of the leg it can be felt either side of the longus tendon. The two tendons share a groove behind the Lateral malleolus, with the brevis in front, and then separate: brevis goes to the outer edge of the foot, and longus goes under the sole.

The bump at the base of the fifth metatarsal, halfway along the outer edge of the foot, is an easy landmark for its insertion. Clients who have rolled an ankle inwards commonly report tenderness around the outer ankle and this bump, because the tendon is stretched in that injury. Work in this area during recovery belongs to remedial training.

Like fibularis longus, brevis works against Tibialis anterior and Tibialis posterior for turning the sole. It has no part in the Achilles (calcaneal) tendon.

Source notes. Wikipedia gives no nerve root levels, so L4–S1 comes from Gray’s Anatomy (1918) only. Note that Wikipedia gives L5–S1 for the partner muscle, Fibularis longus, while Gray gives L4–S1 for both.

Techniques

  • Compression — Pressing straight down into a muscle with the palm, fist or forearm, holding briefly, then releasing and moving on.
  • Stripping — A slow, deep, narrow glide along the length of a single muscle with the thumb, knuckle or elbow, pausing over tight bands on the way.
  • Cross-fibre friction — Deep, specific friction applied back and forth across the direction of a tendon, ligament or muscle's fibres, with the fingers and skin moving together as one.

Works with

  • Fibularis longus — Long muscle on the outer side of the lower leg whose tendon wraps behind the outer ankle and under the foot to turn the sole outwards and support the arches.

Opposes

  • Tibialis anterior — Long muscle beside the shin bone that lifts the foot up (dorsiflexion) and turns the sole inwards (inversion).
  • Tibialis posterior — The deepest muscle at the back of the leg; it turns the sole inwards, helps point the foot and is a major support for the inner arch.

Sources

  1. Wikipedia: Fibularis brevis
  2. Wikipedia: Superficial fibular nerve
  3. Gray's Anatomy of the Human Body (1918), Myology 8c: The Muscles and Fasciae of the Leg (archived Bartleby page) (Public domain. Used for attachments and nerve roots (L4–S1); the Wikipedia article gives no root levels.)