Anterior tibial tendonitis causes pain and inflammation in the front of the ankle, where it meets the shin. It most often happens because of overuse, usually from increasing running or walking miles too quickly, or doing repeated jumping or kicking exercises.
Symptoms of Tibialis Anterior Tendonitis
Tibialis anterior tendonitis symptoms include the following:
- Tenderness, pain, stiffness, and swelling in the front of your ankle where it meets your foot
- Redness on the front of your ankle
- Pain as you move your ankle around, especially as you turn your foot in or pull it up
- Pain that gets worse as you’re more active, especially if you frequently run or walk up hills or stairs
- A cracking sound when you move or touch the tendon
- Weakness as you lift your foot upward
Causes of Tibialis Anterior Tendonitis
Tibialis anterior tendonitis causes can be boiled down to one thing: overusing your anterior tibial tendon. There are risk factors that increase your chances of getting it, like:
- Running or walking up and down hills
- Playing sports where you make quick, repeated starts, kick a lot, or run frequently
- Being physically active while you’re in poor physical shape or have low flexibility
- Having flat feet
- Sustaining a previous injury to your leg, ankle, or foot
Preventing Tibialis Anterior Tendonitis
As you learn to treat your tibialis anterior tendonitis, you should take preventative measures to protect yourself from future injuries. You can try:
- Taking the time to warm up and stretch before engaging in physical activity
- Focusing on flexibility, endurance, and strength in your ankle and leg
- Using proper techniques when engaging in physical activity
- Giving yourself plenty of time to rest and recover between exercising
- Wearing arch supports if you have flat feet
- Using correct equipment, like cleats that are the correct length
- Completing rehab after a previous injury, if applicable
Philippines