Foot Tendons: A Simple Map of Where They Run and What They Do

Foot tendons are the strong, rope like cords that join the muscles of your lower leg to the bones of your foot. The muscles sit up in the calf and shin. The tendons carry their pull down past the ankle and onto the foot. That is why a spot of soreness in the foot can start with a muscle much higher up the leg. I teach the Feldenkrais Method®, so I like a map that you can check with your own fingers. This page is that map.

What foot tendons are, and what they are not

A tendon is a band of tough, slightly stretchy tissue that connects muscle to bone. When the muscle tightens, the tendon passes the pull on to the bone, and the bone moves. A ligament is different. It joins bone to bone and holds a joint steady. Our page on ankle ligaments covers those bands.

The foot has many tendons, and most of them are thin and tucked away. You do not need to learn them all. The ones worth knowing are the ones you can find by touch, in four areas. Think of them as the back, the inner side, the outer side and the top.

Tendons are also common sore spots. For the Achilles alone, the estimated lifetime injury incidence is about 2.35 per 1,000 people, and it is strongly linked to sport (StatPearls, 2024). Many everyday foot tendon aches are milder, and often come from simply doing more than the tendon is used to.

Foot tendons at the back: the Achilles

Start with the biggest. The Achilles tendon is the thick cord at the back of your ankle, just above the heel. You can pinch it between a thumb and finger. It is the shared tendon of the two main calf muscles, and it attaches to the heel bone.

It helps you point your foot down. You use it to rise onto your toes, to push off when you walk and to climb stairs. A typical sore pattern is stiffness or tenderness a few finger widths above the heel, often worst in the first steps after sitting or getting out of bed. Our page on Achilles tendon stretches looks at gentle ways to explore this area.

Foot tendons on the inner side: the arch and the inner ankle

Run a finger down from your inner ankle bump. Behind and just below it, three tendons pass on their way to the sole and the toes. From front to back they are the tibialis posterior, the flexor digitorum longus and the flexor hallucis longus. The names are long, but the jobs are easy to say.

The tibialis posterior is the one most people have heard of. It runs down behind the inner ankle bump and then curves forward under the arch, where it attaches mainly to the navicular, a small bone on the inner side of the midfoot. It helps hold the arch up as you walk and helps the sole tilt inward. A typical sore pattern is an ache along the inner ankle and arch, especially after a long day on your feet.

The other two are flexors, which means they curl things. The flexor digitorum longus runs to the four smaller toes. The flexor hallucis longus runs to the big toe and helps it push down when you step off the ground. Either can feel sore low down behind the inner ankle, or under the ball of the foot, after hills, dance or lots of walking. If the inner edge of your foot is the problem, our guide to pain inside side of foot goes through the common causes.

Foot tendons on the outer side: the two peroneal tendons

Now feel behind your outer ankle bump. Two tendons share that groove, the peroneus longus and the peroneus brevis. You may also hear them called the fibularis tendons, since the muscles start on the fibula, the thin bone on the outer side of the lower leg.

Together they help the sole tilt outward and steady you on uneven ground. The longer one also crosses under the sole to the inner side of the foot, like a sling. A typical sore pattern is an ache or a sense of tightness behind and just below the outer ankle bone. People often notice it after a past ankle roll, on slopes, or with a lot of time on cobbles or trails.

Foot tendons on top: the lifters

The top of your foot has its own set. They are the extensor tendons, and they lift things. The big one at the front of the ankle belongs to the tibialis anterior, a shin muscle. It raises the foot toward your shin and the inner edge of the foot with it. The thinner ones fan out to the toes and lift them.

Here is a small moment to try. Sit with your heel on the floor and rest two fingers on top of your foot, just below the ankle crease. Now lift just your toes, slowly. You will likely feel thin cords rise under your fingers like strings: those go to the toes. Then let the whole front of the foot tip up, and a thicker cord may stand out at the front of the ankle, toward the inner side. That one belongs to the tibialis anterior. Lower the foot and feel them soften. Do it again and see if the movement can become smaller and easier.

A typical sore pattern here is a ripple of soreness across the top of the foot, often where shoelaces press or after a lot of downhill walking. Our page on exercises for extensor tendonitis in the foot describes it in more detail.

The plantar fascia is not a tendon

One more thing often gets lumped in. The plantar fascia lies under the sole, from the heel bone toward the toes. It feels like a tendon, and many people call it one, but it is a thick band of connective tissue. It works with the arch like a bowstring. Pain at the heel or along the sole is often named after it, so it is useful to know that it belongs on a different list.

How foot tendons work as a team

No tendon works alone. When you walk, the back set helps you push off, the top set lifts the toes so they clear the ground, and the inner and outer sets balance each other as the foot lands. If one side is working harder than usual, the other side often notices. Most foot tendon aches are a sign that one tendon has been asked to do more than it was ready for.

That is where attention comes in. In an Awareness Through Movement® lesson, we move slowly and small, and compare one foot with the other. You may begin to feel which parts of the foot you lean on and which you hardly use. Our Feldypedia article on gait changes and walking difficulty follows this idea into walking as a whole. If you want a first practice, try our somatic exercises for beginners. Feldy's daily audio lessons follow the same slow, curious approach, and the first week is free.

Where this sits next to medical care and other approaches

Knowing your tendons is not the same as having them examined. If a doctor or physiotherapist is looking after your foot, awareness work sits next to their care and never replaces it. Imaging, strength plans and a graded return to sport are their work.

Other methods reach the feet in their own ways. Yoga asks the feet to spread and ground in standing poses. Tai chi asks for slow shifts of weight from one foot to the other. Pilates trains the foot and ankle with precise, repeated control. Calf and shin strengthening builds the muscles these tendons belong to. Feldenkrais® uses small, slow movement and attention so you can sense how the foot joins the rest of you. Our body awareness page explains this approach.

When to get foot tendons checked

Most tendon aches settle with time and a gentler load. A few signs need a professional. Sudden pain at the back of the heel with a snap, or a feeling of being kicked, needs same day care. So does being unable to push off or rise onto your toes. A hot, red, swollen foot, or numbness or tingling, calls for a doctor. So does pain that wakes you at night or does not ease after a few weeks.

Find where to start

Not every sore foot needs the same kind of movement, and a good match is easier to find with a few questions. If a sore foot has you wondering where to begin, a short quiz can suggest a first step.

Not sure which movement method fits you? Take the 60 second Movement Match quiz, which asks how your feet feel through the day and then suggests a method to try first.

Common Questions about foot tendons (FAQ)

How many tendons are in the foot?

There are dozens, because each toe has its own tendons, and some tendons split into several strands. For everyday purposes you only need the main groups: the Achilles at the back, three on the inner side, two peroneal tendons on the outer side, and the extensor tendons on top. Those are the ones you can find with your fingers.

Is the plantar fascia a tendon?

No. The plantar fascia is a thick band of connective tissue under the sole that links the heel bone to the base of the toes. It acts like a tie rod for the arch. It is often confused with a tendon because heel and sole pain is so common, but a tendon joins muscle to bone, and this band does not.

What is the difference between a tendon and a ligament?

A tendon joins a muscle to a bone, so it passes on movement. A ligament joins one bone to another and helps hold a joint steady. In the foot and ankle you have both, and they work together every time you stand or step.

How often should I practise noticing my foot tendons?

A minute or two on most days is plenty. You might lift your toes while seated and feel the cords on top of the foot, or roll your weight slowly across your sole at the sink. Short, frequent moments of attention tend to stay with you better than one long session now and then. Stop if anything hurts.

How long does a sore foot tendon take to settle?

It varies a lot. Mild irritation from a busy week may ease in days to a few weeks once the load is lighter. A tendon that has been sore for months can take much longer, and it is worth having it looked at. Nobody can promise a timeline, so watch the trend rather than the days.

How do foot tendon exercises differ from gentle awareness work?

Foot tendon exercises, such as calf raises, usually aim to load and strengthen the tendon with a set number of repeats. Awareness work asks you to move slowly, in a small, comfortable range, and to notice how the foot and leg share the effort. The two can sit side by side. If a clinician has given you a plan, follow it first.

When should I see a professional about foot tendon pain?

Same day, for sudden pain at the back of the heel with a snap, or if you cannot push off or stand on tiptoe. See a doctor for a hot, red, swollen foot, for numbness, or if you have diabetes and any foot pain or wound. Book a visit too if soreness lasts more than a few weeks or wakes you at night.