Your feet and ankles are made up of a complex system of tendons that hold your muscles to your bones. In this connective role, your tendons undergo a fair amount of wear and tear, which can lead to a painful inflammation called tendonitis. The team at Sports Arena Podiatry Group understands the vast network of connective tissue and helps their patients in San Diego, Coronado, and Chula Vista, California, successfully combat this uncomfortable condition. For more information, call either office or use the online scheduling tool to book an appointment.
Your bones provide the majority of the support in your feet, but the tendons, muscles, and ligaments are what keeps them together, allowing your bones to function and move. Your tendons are bands of tissue that connect your muscles to your bones, while your ligaments attach bone to bone.
Your tendons are under a fair amount of stress and strain on a daily basis. Aside from standard stressors, more strenuous pursuits -- such as sports activities -- make your soft tissues work harder to keep your feet and ankles functioning correctly. Over time, small tears may develop in the tissue, which can lead to inflammation and pain, otherwise known as tendonitis.
Your feet and ankles contain many tendons, but tendonitis typically strikes your:
While this last condition involves your ligaments and not your tendons, plantar fasciitis is an inflammatory condition that’s almost identical to tendonitis.
The primary driver behind tendonitis is wear and tear over time. There are, however, other causes, which include:
How the team at Sports Arena Podiatry Group treats your tendonitis depends on the location and severity of the condition. With minor tendonitis, they typically prescribe:
When it comes to tendonitis, patience is critical. You need to allow time for your body to heal; as your body repairs the tears, the inflammation should subside.
In more extreme cases of tendonitis, the team may recommend non-weight-bearing or limited weight-bearing solutions, such as a boot or crutches. In less common cases, you may need surgery to repair large tears, in which case the team points you in the right direction for specialized help.
If tendonitis is hampering your ability to move about freely, call the team at Sports Arena Podiatry Group or book an appointment online.