Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Posterior Tibial Tendonitis

Well, I went to my Orthopaedic Doctor today, to find out what the pain in the ankle was.
While I do have a touch of arthritus, it is not the cause of the discomfort. I have Posterior Tibial Tendonitis.

The following is from about.com:
What is posterior tibial tendonitis?
Posterior tibial tendinitis is an uncommon problem of the foot. When this tendon is inflamed in posterior tibial tendinitis or if the posterior tibial tendon ruptures, it can cause serious problems. Most commonly, patients with posterior tibial tendinitis complain of pain in the inside of the foot and ankle, and occasionally have problems associated with an unstable gait.

Here is a better overview of this:
http://www.eorthopod.com/public/patient_education/6489/posterior_tibial_tendon_problems.html

So whatever that is, bottom line is.... rest, anti-inflammatory meds, and orthodics for my shoes for support... or else! My Doctor said I have caught the early stages, which is a good thing, and I'm about the 5th marathoner he has seen this year, with this issue.
With the proper rest, I should be fine, but if I where to continue to run, I have the risk of it rupturing, and that would be the end of my running.
Sooo rest it is, I am not thrilled about that, and the early Spring Marathon is OUT..
(fyi... I was planning on the National Marathon in DC).
So there is my early Christmas present, courtesy of my marathon training... overuse of some wacky thing called the posterior tibial tendon.

Anyway.. that's the deal in a nutshell.

18 comments:

Chic Runner said...

glad it's nothing too serious! Take some advil and rest up! :) You'll be back out there kicking butt in no time!

BeachRunner said...

Phew. Good job catching that Tibial thing early before you caused long term damage with all the running you have been doing.

Enjoy your Christmas, rest up and recover well, so you can keep on running in 09 and beyond.

Progman2000 said...

That bites - how long are you out for? I am guessing you will be looking at Fall marathons for next year. At least this cropped up after Philly, it would have really sucked if it kept you from running that.

joyRuN said...

Maybe if you slow down to my pace ;)

Glad to hear it wasn't anything super-bad, like a burst tendon or fracture. Still, rest up & take care of it!

Unknown said...

As they say.... An early detection is an ounce of prevention. It is a good thing that you caught it early so you know how to prevent from getting this worst. Time to grab a six pack and rest it up !!!

Have a relaxing holidays !!!

Darrell said...

Sorry to hear the bad news, although it is great that you caught it early.

Maybe a late summer of fall marathon will be the ticket.

SuperDave said...

Damn Santa and his early gifts!
Does that mean that you have been naughty?
Merry Christmas!

ShoreTurtle said...

Not what you wanted to hear--but you should feel good that you got it diagnosed early. Not running while recovering is one thing. Injuring yourself so that you can't run at all is the last thing that you want for Christmas.

Rest up. A fall marathon sounds good to me.

Unknown said...

Sorry to hear about the bad news. Bright side I guess is that you caught it early enough. Just how long will you be out for?

FLYERS26 said...

I have a return Dr.'s appointment on Jan. 20th.

Denise said...

I'm sorry! I would be crushed if I had to take off from running. But it's better to rest up and get better. Have a great holiday!

RunToTheFinish said...

oh well that sucks on one hand, but sure glad you caught it soon hopefully you will recover faster!

Glaven Q. Heisenberg said...

Posterior Tibial Tendonitis? How could something in your butt affect your ankle?

HAR!

Just a little humor to ease the pain.

Good thing you caught this early, brother! Better to rest for a few and have a full, long running career than blow out a tire and have to retire from running for good.

I know ... I know ... not running will drive you nuts. (I haven't run in like two-and-a-half weeks myself.)

But it'll seem like nothing once it's over and you're all recovered.

Good luck, brother!

Michelle said...

I am sorry about your injury but at least you know what it is and how to fix it!!!

Be well!!! And rest!!!!

Vava said...

Sorry to hear about your injury, but happy to hear that you've isolated the problem and can fix it with rest, etc. Although the early Spring marathon is out, there will be many more in the future for you to be sure! Happy New Year and a speedy recovery.

Marci said...

Hope you recover quick. Merry (belated) Christmas and Happy New Year!

Laurel said...

LOL, you have the SAME thing I have. I got it a few months back in the middle of training for Philly. When you were describing it, I thought you might have it too.

Mine has gotten a little better, but is still there. It doesn't hurt when I run, but bothers me afterwards and usually when I press down on my big toe.

That sucks that you are going to have to sit out. J and I actually signed up for the National in DC this weekend. We're going to keep up the training, then I will probably take some time off later this year. If it bothers me too much while training I think I will switch to the half.

Molly said...

Hi - I just found your blog by doing a google search on posterior tibialis tendonitis. I was diagnosed with this about 4 weeks ago and like yourself it is a condition that developed from this year's Philadelphia Marathon.
Congrats on finishing it with a great time, by the way. I'm assuming from what I've read it was your first. It was a tough day with how cold it was! I agree that it was a fun day with great crowds - after 13 marathons, I finally got my PR and first BQ. I signed up for Boston that night, then found out I was injured, rested for all of December and headed to a reputable foot doctor in January...he misdiagnosed it as achilles, but after about 4 weeks of non-responsiveness to PT treatment, the PT figured out that it was Posterior tibialis. The doctor then prescribed orthotics and 3 more weeks of rest. I just had the 3 week appointment and I am clear to run. I wanted to know how you went about recovering? My doctor thinks I can make it to Boston as long as I am uber-conservative about it (run-walk). This year was supposed to be my 4th Boston and my first qualified Boston. I look forward to Boston every year, so that was welcome news! I want to do this right, and I thought who better to ask then someone else who experienced it?
Happy trails!