Tendinitis
Foot and ankle tendonitis is a common cause of foot pain, occurring when there is inflammation or irritation of the tendons, usually due to overuse or injury.
Foot and ankle tendonitis can affect any of the tendons in the foot resulting in conditions such as Achilles Tendonitis and Extensor Tendonitis.
It usually takes two to three months to recover, but it can take much longer without the proper treatment.
What is tendinitis?
Tendons are the strong, cord-like bands of connective tissue that link muscles to bone. If a tendon is made to work too hard, for too long or in the wrong way, damage and tiny tears develop in the tendon. This is accompanied by inflammation which is the tell-tale sign of the condition.
The body’s normal response to an injury is to send extra red blood cells carrying the oxygen and nutrients required for healing and white cells to fight off possible infection. Waste products such as inflammatory chemicals are then carried away. All of this helps speed up healing but should only last for a few days. If an area is repeatedly irritated, the process keeps going resulting in the continued inflammation described as tendonitis.
There are four main causes of foot and ankle tendonitis:
1) Overuse: It most commonly occurs when the tendon is repeatedly overloaded i.e. being asked to work too hard, or it is repeatedly over-stretched
2) Injury: It can develop after any foot or ankle injury e.g. ligament sprain, or from repetitive friction on the tendon e.g. from a shoe rubbing
Flat feet can cause ankle tendonitis
3) Abnormal Foot Structure: If your foot is an abnormal shape e.g. flat foot or high arches, it can put more stress on the tendons resulting in the condition
4) Medical Conditions: Some inflammatory conditions such as gout and rheumatoid arthritis can cause foot tendonitis
Tendonitis can occur in a number of places around the foot. The most common sites are:
Achilles tendonitis is a common problem
1) Achilles Tendonitis
This causes heel and calf pain. The Achilles tendon joins the two calf muscles to the heel. Pain is usually felt when walking/running and can occur anywhere from the back of the heel up to the middle of the calf
2) Posterior Tibial Tendonitis
This causes pain on the inner side of the foot. The posterior tibial tendon runs along the inside of the foot and ankle. Pain is usually felt when you start to push off through your foot
3) Peroneal Tendonitis
Peroneal Tendonitis results in pain on the back and outer side of your ankle/foot. The peroneal tendons run down the outer side of the ankle across the bottom of the foot. Pain is usually felt when standing or pushing off through your foot
4) Extensor Tendonitis
This causes pain on the top of the foot. The extensor tendons pull the toes up. Pain is often worse when running. This is one of the more rare types of ankle tendonitis.
5) Anterior Tibial Tendonitis
This results in pain at the front of your foot. The Anterior Tibial Tendon controls the movement at the front of your foot. Pain is usually felt when coming down stairs or when walking/running on sloped surfaces e.g. hills. Again, this is one of the less common places to get the condition.