The tarsal tunnel is a channel located between the ankle
bone and a group of ligaments that crosses the foot. Inside this canal there
several nerves, one of them is the tibial nerve that is responsible for
sensations of the foot bottom. When this nerve becomes compressed, an ailment
known as tarsal tunnel appears. This condition is also denominated posterior
tibial neuralgia and tarsal tunnel syndrome. It is not a very common condition
and sometimes its diagnostics is complicated. Certain conformations of feet and
excessive pronation increase the risk to suffer this ailment.
Symptoms:
A typical sign is a tingling sensation or painful burning near the
ankles. This painful sensation may sometimes extent to the toes. Symptoms
usually worse by activity or standing for a long period of time and improve by
rest. It is also possible to feel pain when the area around the nerve is
touched.
Causes:
The primary cause of this ailment is generally not known. However, there
are some conditions that increase the probability of suffering tarsal tunnel
syndrome. For example, any situation that evokes inflammation or increases
pressure in that area. Common conditions of this type are pregnancy, obesity,
diabetes, arthritis, etc. In addition, whatever repetitive work with the ankle
may give rise to this condition. Flat feet and excessive feet pronation are also
risk factors.
Prevention: The
treatment will depend of the seriousness of the symptoms and the primary cause
that is evoking the ailment. The problem is that, as commented above, the
primary cause of tarsal tunnel syndrome is not always easy to find. If symptoms
are relatively weak, conservative measures and some specific medications are
usually sufficient to relieve the problem. For example, when the primary cause
is an excessive pronation of the foot, the use of proper inserts (orthotics)
inside the shoes is a good way to avoid the ailment. In other cases,
anti-inflammatory medications are required. If symptoms are severe, surgery may
be necessary.
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