What is Tibialis Posterior Tendon Dysfunction?
Runners be aware there is a potential injury lurking under your sock. This injury first shows its true colours as you begin to increase your mileage and suddenly begin to develop sharp pains and constant discomfort in the arch of your foot. You may also notice some visible redness and swelling on the inside of your ankle and foot after running.
It will make running very uncomfortable, but you will convince yourself that it is only a minor issue and it will somehow disperse as you continue to increase your training mileage. Here is the truth in a nutshell. This overloading injury will not disappear as quickly as it came on and if left untreated it will prevent you from completing that mini, half or full marathon you have trained so hard for.
The Tibialis Posterior muscle provides stability and tension to help maintain the arch of your foot when you push off the ground when walking or running. Thus, allowing your body weight to be shifted to the outside of the foot when mobilising.
How do you know if you have Tibialis Posterior tendon dysfunction?
Lock your knee straight and push up onto your tip toes as far as you can go. Does this cause pain on the inside of your foot between your arch and inside ankle bone?
How can I prevent this problem from becoming an issue or getting worse?
Remember here at Platinum we are all about pre-habilitation. We strive to address any muscular imbalances or strength deficits before they become an issue. If you are training for an endurance running event, including exercises in your programme to prevent Tib Post dysfunction from developing is crucial. If on the other hand you have already developed some medial ankle pain and arch discomfort now is the time to address it. Book in with one of our amazing physio team here in platinum to get an accurate diagnosis and to put you on the road to recovery. This injury does not have to be the end of your training regime and consequently the end of your ambitions to complete your event. It can be both prevented and managed with the correct treatment and rehabilitation. Don’t delay and book an appointment with our team today.
KEY TAKE-HOME MESSAGES:
Do not completely offload the foot for too long, only initially to stop the tendon breakdown cycle. During this phase complete non-weight-bearing exercises.
Progress to weight-bearing exercises every two days. Sets and reps will depend on how irritable your injury is'.
Slowly progress the loading to the tendon whilst performing these exercises.
Stretch both muscles in your calf on a regular basis