Inferior Fibular Retinaculum in the Male Ankle, Lateral View

Description

Oriented in lateral profile, the male ankle and hindfoot are presented with the distal fibula (lateral malleolus) superior to the calcaneus and lateral to the talus, framing the retromalleolar (retrofibular) groove. The superior and inferior fibular retinacula appear as thickened bands of deep fascia spanning from the lateral malleolus toward the calcaneus, forming a fibro-osseous tunnel for the peroneal tendons. Peroneus longus and peroneus brevis course posterior to the fibula, then turn distally and anteriorly toward the lateral foot, held close to bone by the retinacular sheath. Adjacent lateral ankle ligaments may be appreciated in the same field, with the anterior talofibular and calcaneofibular ligaments lying deep to the retinacular plane. Retinacular anatomy matters when assessing lateral ankle pain after inversion injury, where peroneal tendon subluxation or dislocation often reflects tearing or stripping of the superior peroneal retinaculum from the fibula. The inferior fibular retinaculum, contiguous with the sural fascia and lateral calcaneal attachments, helps stabilize the tendons as they traverse the peroneal tubercle of the calcaneus, a common site of stenosing tenosynovitis and longitudinal split tear of peroneus brevis. A key surgical landmark. Use this lateral view when teaching the retromalleolar course of the peroneal tendons in gross anatomy, podiatric medicine, or sports medicine modules, or when illustrating operative repair of peroneal retinaculum disruption and groove-deepening procedures in orthopedic foot and ankle texts. Anatomical accuracy verified by SciePro's Medical Advisory Board.