Have you been noticing pain in the tendon on the inside of your ankle, especially after high-impact activities like running or sports? Maybe you’ve let it go for a while to see if it goes away on its own. If you’re an athlete, you’re probably used to some aches and pains after hard workouts. However, pain on the inside of your ankle is something you should seek treatment for. It could be a condition called posterior tibial tendinitis that may get worse over time.
The posterior tibial tendon connects the calf muscle to the bottom of your foot. It supports the arch of your foot and the structure of your ankle. When this tendon gets worn down, it can cause a lot of pain and affect the way your foot works. If you see a physical therapist sooner rather than later, you’ll have a better chance of keeping your tendon intact and healthy.
In this article, we’ll describe what posterior tibial tendinitis is, discuss some common causes, and share how physical therapy can help.
What’s causing pain in the tendon on the inside of my ankle?
Posterior tibial tendinitis is a condition that affects the tendon on the inside of the ankle. Most people develop it after a fall or through overuse. It’s important to seek treatment. Over time, posterior tibial tendinitis can progress into a degenerative condition that affects the foot and ankle.
If you play a high-impact sport like football, basketball, or track and field, you may be straining this tendon with repeated overuse. Make sure you give yourself enough time to rest and recover.
What is posterior tibial tendinitis?
Posterior tibial tendinitis is a painful condition in which the tendon on the inside of the ankle gradually wears down. This tendon plays an important role in supporting the arch of the foot, so this condition is the most common cause of adult-acquired flatfoot.
Treatment in the early stages of posterior tibial tendinitis can prevent it from progressing. However, when left untreated, it can affect ligaments in the foot and ankle, causing them to become rigid. It can also contribute to arthritis in the ankle.
People with certain medical conditions may be more likely to develop posterior tibial tendinitis:
- Excess weight
- High blood pressure (hypertension)
- Diabetes
- Joint disorders
- Prior foot or ankle injuries
- Prior foot or ankle surgery
- Steroid use
How can physical therapy help me with pain on the inside of my ankle?
Resting your feet and controlling your pain and swelling are important first steps in the treatment of posterior tibial tendinitis. We recommend using PEACE & LOVE to relieve your pain at home: protection, elevation, avoiding anti-inflammatories, compression, education, load (increasing your daily load as your pain allows), optimism, vascularization (moving your body), and exercise.
If these methods don’t take care of your pain in a few days, you should see a physical therapist. A PT can provide natural treatments that gently loosen up stiff tissue in your foot and ankle. This will help promote healing in your posterior tibial tendon by restoring healthy movement in its tiny fibers and increasing circulation in the area.
Your physical therapist may use the following treatments to help relieve pain and stiffness on the inside of your ankle:
- Manual therapy — In manual therapy treatments, your therapist will use massage-like movements to reduce stiffness and get your tendon moving.
- Instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization (IASTM) — IASTM is like manual therapy, except your PT will use a set of stainless steel tools. These tools help them locate scar tissue and apply gentle pressure to smooth it away.
- Therapeutic stretching and exercise — After an initial period of rest and passive treatments, your PT will start incorporating these more active methods. They’ll guide you through stretches and exercises to mobilize your tendon and increase your tendon’s capacity to support your foot with greater stresses. They’ll also provide some instructions for exercising your foot at home.
- Dry needling — Your PT may use dry needling to stimulate healing deep in the soft tissue inside your ankle. They’ll use thin needles that look like acupuncture needles, except dry needling is more targeted to stimulate specific parts of the body.
- Total Motion Release® — Total Motion Release is a unique program we’d use to treat your injured ankle by moving the unaffected one and other parts of your body. It’s helpful for conditions like tendinitis because it works without aggravating your pain.
Get personalized treatment for your posterior tibial tendinitis at Forever Fit
Pain on the inside of your ankle is an important sign of posterior tibial tendinitis that you shouldn’t ignore. With treatment, you can avoid more serious effects and keep doing the activities you love.
At Forever Fit, we love helping athletes take a more intentional approach to their sport and their health. Our PTs can incorporate sports performance therapy into your treatment plan. They’ll help you rehabilitate so you can start playing again as soon as possible and minimize the likelihood of reinjuring your ankle.
We offer the services described in this article and sports performance therapy at many Forever Fit locations, including Silver Spring Downtown and Medical Park in Maryland.
Are you curious to find out if physical therapy can help you heal from posterior tibial tendinitis? Contact our team today to schedule an initial appointment. Let’s talk about your symptoms and what you’d like to accomplish with your treatment.