Tib Fib Joint
The tibiofibular joint, or Tib/Fib joint, is very unique. Most joints in the body are supported by ligaments and then have muscles that cross the joint to help stabilize it. The Tib/Fib joint is one of the few exceptions, as it is only supported by ligaments. The muscles that run alongside the joint all go down to the foot to support it, providing no additional support to the Tib/Fib joint.
In a normal joint, if a ligament becomes stretched, the muscles will contract and protect the joint so it can heal. But because there are no muscles connected to the Tib/Fib joint, if the ligament becomes stretched its ability to heal is compromised. It’s likely that if you’ve ever had an ankle sprain, it’s probably still there.
Normally when force enters into a joint, the joint receptors fire up to the nervous system. The nervous system then responds by sending information back down to the muscles telling which muscles to turn on to absorb the incoming force. When the ligament is stretched, the laxity creates problems for the joint receptors and their ability to receive and send information. Due to the laxity, when force enters into the joint, the receptors can’t properly register the force that has entered, subsequently hindering their ability to send the correct information up to the nervous system. If the nervous system can’t receive the information, it can’t send information back down to turn on muscles properly. The delay in muscle response causes the force to not be absorbed properly, eventually leading to the force transferring into other areas of the body.
To restore normal function of the joint there are a few things we can do. First, support the joint with tape. The tape takes the stretch off the ligament, so it can begin to heal. This typically takes 6-8 weeks. The second component is to strengthen the weakened neurological pathways. Strengthening these pathways involves afferentation from the joint and leads to restoring normal receptor activation. There are a number of ways to accomplish this (electric muscle stimulation, proprioceptive training, vibration etc.).
So now if you see someone walking around with tape on their ankle you’ll know why.
John Nelson, MS, CES, CPT, FRCms
Founder/Director Elite Level