Posterior Tibial Tendon
Posterior tibial tendinitis is the inflammation of the posterior tibial tendon, a key player in your stability and movement.
Posterior tibial tendinitis is the inflammation of the posterior tibial tendon, which connects your calf muscle to the bones on the inside of your foot. This critical tendon acts as a primary stabilizer that supports the arch of your foot and propels you forward when you walk or run.
Untreated tendinitis can progress to tendinosis (chronic tendon degeneration) or posterior tibial tendon dysfunction (PTTD), which can result in permanent arch collapse.
Let us help you before it gets to that point!
Diagnosing
To diagnose posterior tibial tendinitis, we start with a thorough foot and ankle exam. During this we'll do a few tests to assess your range of motion, tenderness, and strength.
Based on your symptoms, we may also take X-rays or order an MRI to rule out other conditions. We have ultrasounds in office to help visualize the tendons and their health.
Symptoms
Common symptoms we see among patients with posterior tibial tendonitis are:
Pain: Ache or throbbing along the inside of the ankle and the arch of the foot, which usually worsens with prolonged standing, walking, or running.
Swelling: Possible puffiness and warmth around the inner ankle.
Arch Collapse: Weakening of the tendon over time can lead to flattened arches.
Weakness: Difficulty or pain when performing a single-leg heel raise or "pushing off" the ground
Treatment
There are a few different treatment options that can stop PTTD from progressing if we catch it in time.
Possible treatments might include orthotics to support the feet and ankles, ankle braces and wearing a cast or boot to immobilize the foot and allow healing.
These might be accompanied by physical therapy, anti-inflammatory medications and changing the type of shoes you wear.
Additionally our office can offer other regenerative medicine techniques to treat this problem, including our MLS pain laser treatments. These have shown to be effective in helping to bring blood flow and healing properties to the tendon.
In very advanced cases when none of these options relieve the pain and progression, surgery might be necessary. But that's always a last resort.
Prevention
To prevent posterior tibial tendonitis (PTTD), you must relieve stress on the tendon and strengthen the surrounding muscles.
We focus on providing supportive arch-support, supportive footwear, custom orthotics, calf stretches, and incorporating strengthening exercises to improve foot and ankle stability.