Tendons are bands of strong tissue that attach your muscles to your bones. They are not elastic, but they are flexible enough to allow your muscles to stretch and contract and thus generate movement. Like all the tissues in your body, tendons can become injured or inflamed. A tendonitis occurs when one of these tendons becomes inflamed, and it can affect any of the tendons in your body.
Causes
Foot tendonitis tends to be caused by overusing a tendon, and it is more common in athletes, runners, and people who have to be on their feet for long periods of time. Wearing shoes that are too tight or don’t offer enough support can also make it more likely to develop foot tendonitis.
Types
There are multiple tendons on your feet, which means that you can suffer from different types of foot tendonitis. The more common variants of foot tendonitis include:
Extensor tendonitis
There are extensor tendons on both your hands and feet, and they help you move your fingers and toes. On your feet, they run across the top of your feet, which makes them vulnerable to injury, since there isn’t a lot of protective fatty tissue around them.
Peroneal tendinitis
Peroneal tendinitisYour peroneal tendons run behind the outer bones in your ankle. They are very strong and protect your ankle joint from sprains and other injuries. Peroneal tendonitis is common in people who practice sports that involve heavy and repetitive ankle use.
Posterior tibial tendonitis
The tendon that belongs to the posterior tibial muscle helps you uphold the arch of your foot, and stops the foot from excessive sideways movements. Posterior tibial tendonitis causes pain and swelling on the inner portion of your foot and ankle, and it can cause you to develop an unsteady gait. In severe cases of this foot tendonitis, your feet can become flat and your toes will begin to point inward.
Achilles tendonitis
Your Achilles’ tendon can be found at the back of your foot. When it becomes inflamed, it causes pain that has a gradual onset and is usually accompanied by swelling. This pain tends to worsen when you begin to exercise and improves afterwards. It is common in runners.
Treatment
The pain caused by a tendonitis tends to have a burning quality to it, and it is commonly accompanied by swelling and stiffness. Your podiatrist Sydney will likely order imaging tests, such as an X-ray to rule out a stress fracture, and an magnetic resonance (MRI), which will provide a detail view of muscles and tendons in order to pinpoint the exact location of your injury. Foot tendonitis treatment includes rest, anti-inflammatory medications, and physical rehabilitation exercises. Steroid injections have also been shown to be effective in treating this condition.
