Tibialis posterior dysfunction: a common and treatable cause of adult acquired flatfoot

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Introduction Adults with an acquired flatfoot deformity may present not with foot deformity but almost uniformly with medial foot pain and decreased function of the affected foot (for a list of causes of an acquired flatfoot deformity in adults, see box 1).1 Patients whose acquired flatfoot is associated with a more generalised medical problem tend to receive their diagnosis and are referred appropriately. However, in patients whose “adult acquired flatfoot deformity” is a result of damage to the structures supporting the medial longitudinal arch, the diagnosis is often not made early.2 These patients are often otherwise healthier and tend to be relatively more affected by the loss of function resulting from an acquired flatfoot deformity. The most common cause of an acquired flatfoot deformity in an otherwise healthy adult is dysfunction of the tibialis posterior tendon, and this review provides an outline to its diagnosis and treatment. Footnotes A film showing left sided tibialis posterior dysfunction is on bmj.com. Please note that the file is very large, so you will probably need broadband to watch this film Contributors JK-G wrote the paper. JL gave podiatric advice. FH and GB are involved in collaborative research on tibialis posterior dysfunction and have worked with senior authors JCA and DS. DS is guarantor. Funding None. Competing interests None declared.