Ankle Tendonitis

We, human beings, dwelling in the modern world are so much engulfed in our daily lives that we hardly get time to look towards our health and fitness. Unfortunate, but we need to accept this fact.

Today, when health problems such as excessive weight gain and high blood pressure have already gained pace, there are also other health issues, which are rapidly encroaching our lives. One such problem is ankle tendonitis.

Well, in reality, this is not a very serious condition if one treats it promptly. However, the ignorance towards its treatment and exercises might aggravate the condition, affecting your lifestyle to a considerable extent.

To understand this condition, you need to understand the structure of the human foot first. The human foot is made up of several muscles and ligaments.

Some of these are tibia, Achilles tendon, calcaneus, tibialis posterior, and posterior tibial tendon. Ankle tendonitis is a condition that leads to inflammation in the posterior tibial tendon. People with a flat foot are highly prone to this condition comparatively.

Posterior tibial tendon plays an important role in lifting the foot arch, and the reason why this condition results is exertion of undue stress on this tendon.

Apart from posterior tibial tendonitis, there are two more types of ankle tendonitis: peroneal and Achilles tendonitis, which affect the peroneal and Achilles tendons respectively. It is not just undue stress that leads to this problem; there are some more causes of it.

Ankle tendonitis and running have been linked together for a long time. Because, most of the time, excessive use of Achilles tendon during walking or running can result in Achilles tendonitis. Jumping is another reason for this condition as it tends to put a lot of pressure on the respective tendon. Sometimes, arthritis is also the reason for it.

Most of the reasons for the initiation and development of this condition are similar to the aforementioned Achilles condition. However, a severe injury to the posterior tibial tendon, or improper walking style can also lead to it.

Its causes are a bit different comparatively. The most common ones are ankle or foot twisting and tightness in the calf muscles. Yet, injury and excessive use of the ankle are also the causes of this condition.

Treatment intends to decrease the inflammation in the affected part and relieve the person from pain. Many times, simple tips followed at home can prove to be useful in relieving you from the condition. However, for serious or advanced cases, a surgery might be prescribed.

Some of the commonly followed treatments include taking anti-inflammatory medicines, avoiding activities such as running and walking or movements that are leading to pain, and resuming the activity slowly once the pain starts reducing.

You can prevent ankle tendonitis to a considerable extent by avoiding undue stress on the ankle, warming up before running, avoiding quick and sudden movements of the ankle, and by wearing appropriate footwear for different activities.

Another important way of preventing this condition is to perform appropriate exercises. Leg strengthening exercises and calves exercises are usually effective for this purpose.

Although this condition is not a very serious problem, it should not be neglected. In fact, you cannot ignore it as you would experience pain in your ankle at every step. It is advisable that you consult a doctor for appropriate treatment as you never how serious the problem is in your case, in reality.