There are several muscles of the foot and ankle that play a role in eversion of the foot. The following chart provides information about the muscles of the eversion anatomy, including their origin (where they start), attachment (where they end), and action.
| Muscle | Origin | Attachment | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peroneus longus | Head of fibula (lateral bone of lower leg) | Medial (inner) side of foot | Pulls medial side of foot away from midline of body |
| Peroneus brevis | Later side of fibula, below peroneus longus | Base of little toe of foot | Pulls lateral side of foot away from midline of body |
| Peroneus tertius | About halfway down the fibula | Base of little toe | Pulls lateral side of foot away from midline of body |
These peroneus muscles, with the help of the muscles that invert the feet, also function to support and stabilize the ankle when a person is performing an activity on their feet, such as standing, walking, running, jumping, and skating. For example, if you are standing and your feet begin to invert, these peroneus muscles will subconsciously contract to pull your ankle back to the neutral position.
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The ankle joint that allows inversion and eversion of the foot is known as the subtalar joint, and it is formed by the connection between the bottom portion of the talus and top portion of the calcaneous. The talus is the large bone of the ankle that connects to the tibia, and the calcaneous is also known as the ''heel bone''. The subtalar joint is a synovial joint, which means the joint is filled synovial fluid that provides lubrication and protection for the joint.
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As stated previously, the eversion movement of the foot occurs when the sole of the foot rotates away from the midline of the body, such as when you roll onto the inside portion of your foot. Eversion of the foot (along with the other movements of the foot such as inversion and dorsiflexion) helps a person maintain proper balance and posture while they are standing, walking, jogging, or running, particularly on uneven surfaces.
Pretend you are standing sideways on a steep hill, with your left foot higher up on the hill compared to your right foot. In order to maintain proper balance and posture while standing on a steep hill, your left foot must evert so the sole rotates away from the midline of the body and your right foot must invert so the sole rotates toward the midline of the body. These ankle and foot movements allow the soles of the feet to remain in complete contact with the ground. If the feet were not able to evert and invert, you would have a very difficult time maintaining your balance and and posture on uneven ground.
Unfortunately, sometimes the foot will evert too far and cause an eversion ankle sprain. For example, if a person rolls too far onto the inside of their foot, the deltoid ligament can stretch too far and tear. The deltoid ligament is the relatively large ligament on the inner portion of the ankle/foot, and a tear of this ligament results in an eversion ankle sprain.
Other Movements of the Foot/Ankle
Other movements of the foot/ankle in addition to eversion and inversion include:
- Dorsiflexion: moving the top of the foot upward. This movement occurs when a person is taking a step forward when they are walking, right before the heel hits the ground.
- Plantar flexion: moving the top of the foot downward. This movement occurs when a person presses down on the gas pedal of their car or when they stand on their toes.
It should be noted these movements of the foot and ankle are not independent, meaning they can occur at the same time. For example, dorsiflexion and eversion of foot would result in the top of the foot moving upward while the foot also rotates outward.
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Other Body Movements
Other movements of the body include:
- Knee flexion: bending the knee joint
- Knee extension: straightening the leg at the knee joint
- Shoulder flexion: moving the upper arm forward through the shoulder joint
- Shoulder extension: moving the upper arm backward through the shoulder joint
- Trunk flexion: bending forward at the waist
- Trunk extension: bending backward at the waist
- Neck flexion: bending the head forward
- Neck extension: bending the head backward
- Leg and arm abduction: moving the body part away from the midline of the body
- Leg and arm adduction: moving the body part toward the midline of the body
- Leg and arm medial rotation: twisting or rotating the body part inward, toward the midline of the body
- Leg and arm lateral rotation: twisting or rotating the body part outward, away from the midline of the body
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Eversion of the foot occurs when the foot rotates so the sole faces away from the midline of the body. Inversion of the foot is the opposite movement of eversion, and it occurs when the foot rotates so the sole faces inward to the midline of the body. There are three primary eversion muscles, and these muscles also help to support and stabilize the ankle. These muscles include:
- Peroneus longus: Originates from the head of fibula and attaches to the medial side of the foot
- Peroneus brevis: Originates from the lateral side of the fibula and attaches to the little toe
- Peroneus tertius: Originates about halfway down the fibula and attaches to the base of the little toe
The ankle joint that allows eversion of the foot is known as the subtalar joint, and it is formed by the connection between the bottom portion of the talus (bone of the ankle) and top portion of the calcaneous (heel bone). If the foot everts too far, it can cause the deltoid ligament to tear, which is the large ligament on the inner portion of the ankle/foot. A tear in this ligament will result in an eversion ankle sprain.
Other movements of the foot and ankle include dorsiflexion (moving the top of the foot upward) and plantar flexion (moving the top of the foot downward). Some movements of other body parts include:
- Knee flexion and extension
- Shoulder flexion and extension
- Trunk flexion and extension
- Neck flexion and extension
- Leg and arm abduction, adduction, medial/lateral rotation
Medical Disclaimer: The information on this site is for your information only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice.
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Video Transcript
Definition of Eversion
Kids like to experiment with movement. We think it's cute when they walk on their toes or walk backwards. They are getting to know their body and figuring out how it moves. There are many ways to move ones' feet. See how many ways you can move yours!
One movement that may be a bit more difficult to do is eversion, which literally means turning the inside out. In anatomical terms, everting the foot means lifting up the lateral (i.e. outside) edge of the foot. When you do so, you'll be standing on the inside of your foot. The opposite of eversion is inversion, which is when you stand on the outside edge of your foot. Eversion and inversion are movements of the ankle in the frontal plane, which means the movements run parallel to the front and back of your body.
An easy way to remember which one is eversion is that the second letter in eversion is a 'v'. When you evert both feet (the outside edge of both feet will be lifted off the ground), your feet will make a 'v'.
Eversion uses muscles on the lateral sides of your legs, including the peroneus longus and brevis. Peroneus tertius is not shown in this image on your screen.
Eversion Muscles
The muscles of eversion all have 'e' as the second letter: peroneus longus, peroneus brevis and peroneus tertius. These muscles run on the lateral side of your leg. When these muscles shorten they pull up on the lateral bones of your foot (the 4th and 5th metatarsals) and evert your foot.
Movements of Eversion
If you haven't yet everted your foot, do it now. Does it feel kind of awkward? You may be asking yourself when do you ever actually evert your foot and use your peroneus longus, brevis and tertius muscles? Let's say you go ice skating for the first time in a while. You would probably feel your peroneus muscles the next day. When you skate, those muscles have to work a lot harder because your body weight is supported a very thin blade.
The muscles that control both eversion and inversion support your ankle when you are standing, walking, running, jumping, skating and any combination of these. If your ankle starts to invert, you subconsciously contract your peroneus muscles to bring your ankle back to a neutral position. You also start to slightly evert your ankle when making lateral movements like side to side leaps or when speed skating.
Lesson Summary
Eversion of the foot simply means to turn the sole of your foot outwards while the opposite is inversion, which is when you stand on the outside edge of your foot. Eversion and inversion are movements of the ankle in the frontal plane which means the movements that run parallel to the front and back of your body.
When you evert your foot, you will be standing on the inner edge of your foot. If you do it with both feet at the same time, your feet will make the letter v, for eVersion. The peroneus longus, peroneus brevis and peroneus tertius are responsible for foot eversion and run along the outside of your leg. These muscles contract to support your ankle whenever you are doing standing movements and they work a ton when you are ice skating.
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