Posterior Tibial Tendonitis (Tendinitis)

The posterior tibial tendon runs along the inside of the ankle and attaches the tibialis posterior muscle (located at the back of the lower leg) to the foot bones in 3 different locations. The tendon assists in supporting the arch of the foot and helps to prevent your foot from rolling.

Posterior tibial tendonitis (also known as tendinitis of the foot) is a common overuse injury that affects the inside arch of the foot that causes inflammation in the tendon. The inflammation can be caused by irritation and tiny tears in the posterior tibial tendon over time (referred to as chronic tendonitis) or due to an immediate traumatic strain or tear (referred to as acute tendonitis).

If posterior tibial tendonitis goes untreated you may experience flattened arches and your toes will begin to point outward as the tendon is no longer able to support your arch.

Posterior Tibial Tendinitis Symptoms

Symptoms of an inflamed posterior tibial tendon may include:

• An unsteady gait (instability in the foot).
• Shooting, stabbing or burning pain along the in-step of the foot and up the inside of the ankle.
• Intense pain in the arch of the foot when standing on tip toes.

Who is at Risk?

• People who have diabetes, are overweight, or are hypertensive.
• People who play sports or do activities that involve repetitive ankle movements.
• People who participate in activities such as running on uneven surfaces, racket sports, basketball, hiking, volleyball or other sports where rolling the ankle is common.
• Elderly people due to tendons losing elasticity with age and becoming brittle.
• People with flat feet.

Treatments - What You Can Do!

Initially, treatment of posterior tibial tendonitis focuses on cold compression therapy for pain relief and to minimize swelling and tissue damage. The trick to getting rid of tendonitis of the foot is getting it to heal with minimal scar tissue formation and with as much realignment of the tendon fibres as possible - something ultrasound therapy is great at!

Even with optimum healing, there is always less elasticity in a previously injured posterior tibial tendon. This will cause the tendon to hurt during daily activities and exercise. However, if you heal your posterior tibial tendon efficiently and quickly, your chance of re-injury later on is much lower than average. Following up your posterior tibial tendon treatments with Blood Flow Stimulation Therapy will help to strengthen your tendon tissue and complete the healing process.

Allowing your posterior tibial tendon to rest is always recommended if you are suffering from tendinitis. Avoid all activities that may have caused the injury or irritation and begin cold compression treatments as soon as possible. The posterior tibial tendon is difficult to rest completely as it is an essential tendon for arch support during walking and other daily activities. During your recovery, you will probably have to modify and/or eliminate any activities that cause pain or discomfort in your ankle until the pain and inflammation settle.

Cold Compression Therapy

Doctors recommend using cold compression as soon as possible following an acute posterior tibial tendon injury, like a sprain, and after any re-injury. This will reduce pain and swelling and minimize tissue damage that occurs with soft tissue injuries like posterior tibial tendon tears and tendinitis.

The Ankle/Achilles Freezie Wrap^® allows you to treat your posterior tibial tendonitis in an effective and convenient way.

Cold compression therapy works by interrupting and slowing nerve and cell function in the injured area and reducing swelling that can block blood vessels. This is important because once blood vessels are blocked or damaged, they can no longer carry oxygenated blood to the posterior tibial tendon and tissue cells begin to break-down.

Without cold compression therapy cellular break-down and tissue damage continues as the cells do not get the oxygen they need to survive. By limiting the amount of damage, you also limit the amount of healing that needs to occur. This is a very important step to heal your posterior tibial tendon faster and with less pain!

The deep cooling effect provided by the Ankle/Achilles Freezie Wrap^® slows cell metabolism thereby reducing cellular break-down and tissue damage. Furthermore, because the cold wraps serve to numb the nerves, the wraps also reduce pain!

The Ankle/Achilles Freezie Wrap^® uses a supercharged cooling gel pack with a medical-grade neoprene compression cover to keep the cold directly off your skin preventing cryoburn while delivering cold right where you need it - around your sore ankle.

Ultrasound Therapy

Ultrasound therapy is the most effective and pain-free way to reduce inflammation, soften scar tissue and promote faster healing of your posterior tibial tendon.

During the healing process, scar tissue builds on your posterior tibial tendon and can attach the inner layer of the tendon to the surrounding sheath it glides through limiting the tendon's ability to move freely through the sheath. This limits the flexibility and movement of the tendon and other tissue in your foot and increases the amount of pain you will experience.

Fortunately, you can treat your scar tissue with therapeutic ultrasound to improve the elasticity and flexibility of your posterior tibial tendon.

Not only does ultrasound reduce inflammation, soften scar tissue and speed up the healing process, it also helps to prevent long term complications. Pain, lack of mobility, tendinosis, or a complete posterior tibial tendon tear are some of the more common long term complications that can occur when tendinitis (tendonitis) goes untreated. By treating your posterior tibial tendon with ultrasound, scar tissue becomes softer and the tissue becomes stronger reducing the risk of chronic problems in the future.

For those who suffer from long term tendon tears or strains, ultrasound can help. Ultrasound therapy can help to break up scar and fibrous tissue that has built up over time on the posterior tibial tendon and restore elasticity to the tissue and flexibility in your ankle joint and foot arch.

Ultrasound can also be used to administer therapeutic medicines into the body. This is a process known as phonophoresis. Ultrasound with phonophoresis is rapidly becoming more popular than ultrasound therapy alone.

Using the MendMeShop^® Lavender Infusion Gel during your ultrasound therapy gives you 2 therapies in 1. You get the benefit of the regenerating sound waves from the ultrasound device itself AND the added bonus of the therapeutic ingredients inside the gel being delivered into the tissue where it is most effective.

Lavender Infusion Ultrasound Gel contains the natural essential oils of Bulgarian lavender, peppermint, eucalyptus, and menthol and is exclusively available from MendMeShop^®. These ingredients reduce inflammation, relieve pain and improve blood circulation to your posterior tibial tendon. 1 bottle of MendMeShop^® Lavender Infusion Ultrasound Gel comes FREE with every MendMeShop^® Ultrasound System so you get unbeatable ultrasound therapy for your injured posterior tibial tendon.

MendMeShop^® ultrasound therapy with phonophoresis is safe, convenient, and easy and generally requires between 5 - 10 minutes per treatment. It is based on a form of deep tissue therapy, which is generated through high frequency sound waves (that we can not hear). These waves send vibrations deep into your body and slightly increase the temperature of your soft tissue cells. The waves are delivered through a hand held transducer and conductive gel that are used together in a slow, circular motion on your skin over the posterior tibial tendon.

Blood Flow Stimulation Therapy

Once the posterior tibial tendinitis inflammation has been reduced, nourishing and strengthening the tissue of the posterior tibial tendon and surrounding area is recommended.

Using Blood Flow Stimulation Therapy, or BFST^®, will speed your recovery and heal your posterior tibial tendon more completely preparing it for strengthening exercises.

BFST^® increases the amount of blood that flows naturally to your ankle to nourish your posterior tibial tendon and surrounding ligaments, improving elasticity.

By treating your ankle with Blood Flow Stimulation Therapy you can increase your body's blood supply to the posterior tibial tendon and increase your body's natural healing power. In addition, the fresh blood flow whisks away dead cells and toxins that have built up from tendonitis and tissue damage leaving the area clean and able to heal faster. Our Ankle/Achilles Inferno Wrap^® provides effective, non-invasive, non-addictive pain relief and healing with no side effects.

With these 3 easy therapies you will notice incredible improvement in your posterior tibial tendon. You will reduce your pain and strengthen your tendon to get yourself back on your feet again. The more diligent you are with your treatment and rehabilitation, the faster you will see successful results!

Learn More About These SUPERIOR Tendon Treatments

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Returning to activity too soon will probably cause the symptoms to re-occur. Preventive measures for all types of foot tendinitis include proper warm up and stretching exercises, wearing the right type of footwear for the activity, choosing shoes with good arch and heel support and varying your exercise routine.

Remember: We recommend that you consult your doctor and/or physiotherapist before using any of our outstanding products, to make sure they're right for you and your condition.

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