Does anyone know what the standard treatment is for a torn post.tibial tendon? And what is the symptoms of it?

Hi, I have extensive longitudanal tearing in my right one. And unfortunately it's probably been going on for very long time, so I have alot of damage in there, plus my ankle has collapsed inward. My current podiatrist, who is the one who finally diagnosed me, said I personally would want to avoid surgery as long as possible b/c I may end up with more pain afterwards. HOwever, I should mention that I also have osteochondral lesions on my talus bone inside the ankle. So he said all this combined with arthritis woudl make surgery complicated. But, he sent me to have an AFO brace made up, which has actually helped me alot with pain relief. Right now, though, I think the arthritis is acting up, which still hurts, but the brace does help alot. I wish I was offered this brace 20 yrs. ago! It keeps my foot and ankle stable, as long as the brace is closed tightly, there really isnt any movement of my foot. The biggest drawback is I can only wear my sneakers taht it fits into. Havent been able to wear any of my cute shoes or sandals at all. But at this point, i dont care anymore.

If your posterior tibial tendon is torn, the only way to repair it is with surgery. Depending on how extensive the tear is, your doctor may suggest a couple different possibilities. The most common would be reparing the tear, doing a debridement to remove any damaged tissue and/or scar tissue, and doing a tendon transfer using the FDL tendon.

Keep us posted as to what you find out!

Deb

Lynn,
The symptoms of a PTT tear might include pain, swelling, weakness, a flattened arch in your foot which leads to pain in the foot and ankle (sometimes the top and outside of your foot), inability to raise up on your toes, burning, etc. If you punch in posterior tibial tendon tear, you'll find a wealth of information on the web.

Like Deb said, the only way to permanently fix the tear is via surgery. There are many procedures done and often there are a few done in combination (ie, FDL tendon transfer, debridement of PTT and and osteotomy). Again, there is a ton of info on the web as well as on a board (closed now) that Deb started called "posterior tibial tendon surgery".

Keep us posted....we've been there and know what it's like to go through this!
Krista

Ok I sure will keep ya posted! I have a MRI scheduled tomorrow and go see my doc the following week. I have an assessory navicular bone problem as well. I am not sure if this "extra" bone has caused the tendon issue. I guess my doctor will tell me?

Thanks for the replies :)