Surgical treatment for posterior tibial tendonitis in young competitive athletes.

Overview

The surgical treatment and outcome of eight competitive athletes with posterior tibial tendonitis refractory to nonsurgical treatment was retrospectively reviewed. There were one professional, five collegiate, and two high school athletes with an average age of 22 years. All athletes had failed nonsurgical treatments including nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, physical therapy, custom shoe inserts, walking boots, or casts. Surgical debridement of the posterior tibial tendon was performed in all eight. Postoperatively, the athletes were treated in a cast or walking boot for 4 weeks. At the most recent follow-up, averaging 22 months, seven athletes had returned to full sports participation without difficulty. One athlete indicated that he had occasional pain with medial to lateral stressing maneuvers but could participate in his sport. Overall, each athlete reported satisfaction with his or her outcome with seven rating it as "excellent" and one as "good."