Posterior Tibial Tendonitis???? Please no!

I had/have post tib tendonitis and it sounds exactly like what you're experiencing. Mine started with this giant lump on the inside of my left foot, near the arch, and it just kept swelling and swelling. I finally saw a foot/ankle specialist and after x-rays to rule out stress fracture and and MRI, he diagnosed me with post tib tendonitis. My arch had actually begun to collapse compared to my right foot so it was starting to get serious. I was immediately put in a boot and did six weeks of iontophoresis therapy, which helped tremendously. It's an intense cortizone treatment that is done externally, but with an electric device that helps zap the cortizone into the tendon. I also had to have orthotics made for my shoes.

I had just come off of a horrible half-marathon recovery so I had eased up on my running a bit anyway, but this took me completely out of the game. You can rehab it back to running though. I had a doctor who was commited to avoiding surgery at all costs, but to do so I may live with a little pain in the area for the rest of my life. In other words, I could have surgery and never run again, but it would be fixed completely. Or I could do the boot isolation and therapy, wear the orthotics whenever possible, deal with occasional minor pain but still run, but on a more limited basis. For me it helped add a lot of new activities into my routine when I was stuck in the boot. I learned I loved yoga and Pilates, tolerated Spinning and sometimes a really fast-paced walk gets me just as sweaty as a run.

So long story long, it is something you can recover from without surgery, but you need a doctor committed to that path. I worked with a team doctor for our MLS team, so it's his job to get players back on the field and remaining in their career, and I think that's the only thing that kept me off the operating table. My arch will continue to collapse if I'm not careful and I may need to have it repaired eventually, but for now I'm still feeling pretty good and occasionally running, so I'm OK with that.

I took a week off, did achilles tendon stretches off a stair and it's eased some of the pressure I feel in my ankle. Jumping is the worst for me.

You should look into running-specific shoes with arch support and stability control, if you plan to continue running. If you go to an athletic store, tell them you need the most isolation possible to avoid pronation.

The stability control is just as important as arch support. The stability will keep you from rolling left and right and protect your arch if you pronate. Here's some great info on motion/stability control shoes. http://www.aapsm.org/runshoe.html

I'm an avid runner and back in march I started having a dull pain in my heel. It was right behind the achilles tendon at its base. It would feel better after I started running but once I was finished it would hurt again. I tried taking a week or two off at a time and would try to run again but I could never go more than 2 or three min without pain. It turns out it was retrocalcaneal bursitis. I finally had to stop running until about three weeks ago and am only up to about 16 miles a week ( I was at 25). YOu do not want to run through it, achilles tendon problems are not something to power through because you can cause a lot more damage. I ended up doing a lot of biking and I've changed my running form from heel strike to forefoot and I'm not having any problems at all. I'm still getting my calves used to the change but my achilles has never felt better. I'd have it checked out and take it easy.

You're welcome! It sounds like with some rest, new inserts and maybe a quick visit to the doctor you might be able to keep with the couch to 5K program. That's pretty much my goal for the time being, too. My body just made it very clear to me that it will not tolerate another half-marathon for quite a while. And like they say, listen to your body!

I am running in the vibrams and it is great. I love them and it seems to have helped with my foot problems. I do still switch to shoes a little for now but I don't use my traditional running shoes anymore only a much flatter and much less cushioned shoe. If I were you I would probably hold off on the running until you get you foot all healed up and maybe modify some of your workouts with insanity if it is causing pain.

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