How Running Can Lead To Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome

Health & Medical Blog

Tarsal tunnel syndrome is an orthopedic concern that causes numbness and pain in your feet. It is a moderate to serious concern and one that may be caused by what is otherwise a healthy activity: running. Here is how your exercise may be injuring your feet.

Running Can Injure Your Posterior Tibial Tendon

When you run, you put a lot of strain on your body. Even when you're in great shape, there's a chance that you're stressing your posterior tibial tendon. An injury to tendon causes sharp pain in your foot and your arch, as well as inflammation along the tendon, stiffness in the ankle. This condition makes your foot painful to touch.

Avoiding this problem requires carefully working up to your running intensity, stopping when you feel sore, stretching out your calves regularly before exercise, and immediately getting off your feet when you do suffer from it. If you try to "run through" this injury, you're jogging down the path to more serious problems.

Injuries To This Tendon Can Cause Flat Feet

If your posterior tibial tendon is injured or if you try to run through it, you might end up causing more damage to your feet in the form of fallen arches. This problem is caused by injuries to this tendon and other tendons, among a variety of other problems such as broken bones and nerve problems.

However, if you don't suffer from those problems and you suffer from flat feet, the posterior tibial tendon is likely to blame. This will cause your feet to tire easily and become painful, and cause them to swell up and make it difficult to stand on your toes. All this can eventually lead to tarsal tunnel syndrome.

Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome

This severe problem is caused by the compression of your deep peroneal nerve, and it causes severe pain, weakness in your legs, and other problems. Fallen arches or flat feet are a major contributor, as is osteoarthritis and a history of ankle trauma (such as a sprain).

Treatment for this problem includes arch supports that help relieve pressure on the nerve, anti-inflammatory medicines, and even steroid injections. In severe cases, surgery might be necessary.

The truth is, there's no reason that running needs to lead to this problem. Wear proper footwear (such as running shoes or orthopedic support systems) to avoid developing fallen arches and, by extension, tarsal tunnel syndrome. You should also talk to an orthopedic doctor, like one from Soloway Stephen MD Arthritis & Rheumatology, before making any adjustments to your exercise routine.

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29 September 2016

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