I'm hoping to run two marathons in 2010, London and New York, all for Children with Leukaemia
If you want to sponsor me, you can do so at http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/JamesRunsLDN-NYC

All donations, both great and small, are hugely appreciated, and all funds go direct to the charity (I'll be paying for NY flights and accommodation myself)

Friday 29 January 2010

Diagnosis: Tibialis posterior strain

Yes, the diagnosis is in and it comes in Latin: tibialis posterior strain.

If you want to be dramatic, you can call it tibialis posterior pain


And no, that doesn't mean I've strained my posterior, thank you.

Unfortunately this condition also travels under another name, which is significantly less impressive and dramatic; Acquired flat foot pain. This makes me sound like i have hobbit feet, so I'm less impressed with this terminology, and shall be referring to my condition in Latin for full dramatic effect.

Tibialis Posterior pain is basically a running injury where the Tibialis Posterior tendon (the one which runs down the back of your calf) can become inflamed, (or partially torn or ruptured in worse case scenarios), causing pain behind the bony prominence on the inside of the ankle.


For those 'not in the know' when it comes to your bio-mechanics, the purpose of your Tibialis Posterior muscle is to make your calf muscles push the foot down during the 'toe off' phase of walking and running, and also to turn the foot inwards. So if a person has a heel that turns out at the bottom (as I do), causing the foot to roll inwards (pronate - see earlier blog on pronated gaits), then more strain is placed on the tendon and it can become prone to injury. Which is how I find myself in this situation. Harumph. Hind sight is a wonderful thing.


Apparently a lot of football players suffer from this as a direct kick to the Tibialis Posterior tendon which can trigger the same condition, something which I am thrilled about. (At last I have something in common with the world of football).


But anyway this problem is more commonly found in runners and is usually a result of over-use.


I've overused my ankle. (This is coming from the guy who used to sit on the side line in Sports and wait for the ball to come to him).


So.. how to cure?


Well, my lovely physio has given me some wonderful advice, and this is where we come back to bio-mechanics.


Bio-mechanics (I am discovering) is increasingly interesting. Bio-mechanics is basicaly the mechanics of your body. it's how all the bits work together.


But the really interesting thing about bio-mechanics is that the problem is never where you think it is. Because of the way tendons, ligaments and muscles criss-cross over your body, often if there's a prob in one area, chances are the solution is in a totally different place.


So i'll give you one guess as to where the real problem is?


Oh yes, you guessed it... it's my butt. My Glute-meds, to be precise.


Now i know my 'glute-majors' are the muscles at the top of my butt / lower back which power my legs, but I had no idea glute-meds even existed, which would problem explain why the physio said mine are in a state of 'deep relaxation'.


So your glute meds are those little muscles which sit on the side of your butt rather than the back of it, and they help control your thighs and stop your knees from wobbling side to side every time you walk / run and your foot hits the floor.

Here they are:

Don't underestimate them just because they're small. You wouldn't be able to walk very far without them.


So, if they're a bit useless, in a coma-related sleep and you're on your 8th, 10th, 13th mile, you can imagine how it might result in a slightly wobbly knee and the ankle beneath it being jarred every time the foot 'hits the ground running'.


So there we go. Mystery solved.


And finally, to build this lovely muscles - which are very important to runners - I have to do exercise like this in the gym.


Oh joy.


but with a little bit of luck, not only will I be able to run without any more pain in the ankle, but I'll also end up with Glutues Medius like this...



2 comments:

Daniel said...

hope your tibialis is back to 100% working order soon! awww! :( *hug*

Unknown said...

How long did it take you to overcome this once diagnosed. I was recently diagnosed and was caused by running.