SEARCH KNOWLEDGE BASE: 10.000 Q&A

Posterior Tibial Tendon Dysfunction

I am in search of some information in reference to this.
I am going to give as much info as possible so this may be a little longMy boyfriend believes he has this.
He has gone to two different doctors on this and they insist it is an ankle sprain and the other said it was nothing.
For the past few months, the pain in his foot has steadily worsened.
He has gone to a podiatrist who insists nothing is wrong as well.
Here is the problem with this.
They did numerous tests and each one shows exact signs of this.
He has the “too many toes” on the foot when straight.
His big toe is not able to be seen, only the two right toes (this is a right foot) and the 3rd one is starting to be able to be seen and will be clearly visible within a few months I would say at this rate.
He is able to stand on the ball of his foot without any problems at all right now as far as doing it.
But afterwards, depending on the amount of times done, he does get a small amount of pain on the outside of his foot plus tightness around the entire ankle that eventually goes to just the tendon side.
The arch itself does remain (what there is) when he stands on the balls of his feet.
He is also able to walk just fine afterwards.
The arch on his fall also is beginning to come down causing as the doctor said “pes planus”.
When he pushes down on the foot, his right ankle moves to the left a good bit and the arch itself becomes almost obsolete to the point that you can not push any finger under the arch.X-Rays were explained to us in some detail and show the arch itself is coming down, but they said that is a common item to have happen and flatfoot is normal.
The only recommendation they gave him was to use insoles in his shoes.
The problem that exists is that he has been using insoles for about a month and they are causing more pain in his foot than anything.
We have tried using regular flat ones for comfort and did nothing, arch supports have made the pain worse, and moldable insoles did nothing either except increase the pain.
We have also tried special shoes from the beginning and show no results what so ever as the symptoms keep progressing.
We have asked the doctors and podiatrist what other options were available and they will not offer any other forms of treatment.
We know there are braces that can be tried, cast correction/immobilization, as well as surgery.
Our fear is that if it remains untreated it will lead to surgery.
If this also helps, he also has been having increasing amount so of pain in his heel regardless of insole or shoe when he walks any large amount of distance.
With his job, he is walking about 1 to 3 miles a day and is not uncommon to have more if needed.
The heel pain itself is centered in the middle of the heel and moves forward towards the arch itself.Any information would be helpful.
Thanks


1 Comment found

    Vivian Abrams DPM

    9 10

    Your description is very thorough but I must say without examining him myself, I am just making suggestions. First, I would get a MRI of his ankle. If there is a posterior tibial tendon problem, it will be evident. There are several braces that can be used for this problem. In my practice, as an entry level treatmetn I will try an ASO brace sometimes with an orthotic. Usually I will recommend a Richie type brace which incorporates an orthotic and ankle brace together. I have good success with these braces for this problem. I suggest you see another doctor and discuss getting an MRI. Also ask about a Richie type brace. Good luck.

LEAVE A REPLY

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *