The ankle joint is a point where three different bones such as tibia, fibula and talus meet. Tendons are connective tissues that attach the muscles of the lower leg to the foot and ankle bones. These tendons help in joint movement by transferring the force generated by the muscles to the bones.
The most important tendon used for running, walking, and jumping is Achilles tendon. Achilles tendon connects the muscles of your calf to your heel bone so that you can raise your feet and stand up on your toes.
The posterior tibial tendon attaches the smaller muscles of your calf to the underneath of your foot, which helps to move the foot inward.
The anterior tibial tendon runs from shinbone towards the top of the foot, which allows you to raise your foot upward.
There is also a set of two tendons called the peroneal tendons, which run side-by-side along the outer side of the ankle bone. They remain attached at the fifth metatarsal and the bottom of the foot. These stabilized tendons protect the foot and ankle from sprains.
When any of these tendons get torn or ruptured, you will experience ankle tendon pain with utmost difficulty to do activities that require the weight of your body to be put on your foot like walking
An ankle tendon tear is a result of an unexpected injury or overuse of the tendons in the foot. Tendon tears may cause ankle tendon pain and difficulty in performing routine activities. The common tendon tears in the foot are:
Posterior tibial tendon tear occurs mostly due to an unexpected fall or its overuse. It is commonly prevalent among the athletes who use their ankles excessively and put a lot of stress on the ankle while playing sports like basketball or football. The pain of posterior tibial tendon tear manifests towards the inside of the ankle where the tendon is located. Swelling may or may not occur along with other symptoms.
Peroneal tendon tears are commonly found among the sportsmen and dancers who use their ankles repetitively. People who wear loose-fitting shoes and inward-turned heels are at higher risk of peroneal tendon tears. Symptoms such as pain and swelling occur at the back of the ankle while moving the foot inwards or outwards.
Achilles tendon tear occurs when the tendon is stretched beyond its capacity like forceful jumping or when sprinters push off their body while taking a start in a race. The symptoms of Achilles tendon tear include sudden pain in the back of the ankle, swelling between the heel and the calf, difficulty in rising yourself up on toes, etc.
At Medica Stem Cells, we utilize the ground-breaking and revolutionary regenerative therapy for treating ankle tendon pain. Regenerative therapy not only resolves the ankle tendon pain but also naturally heals the damaged tendons. It uses the power of the patient’s regenerative cells to restore damaged tissues in the injured area. Regenerative therapies are minimally invasive and may potentially be an ankle tendon surgery alternative. Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) therapy, one of our regenerative therapies, involves injecting platelets from the patient’s own blood to the affected area for enhanced healing. The growth factors in the platelets heal the damaged area by forming connective tissues, regulating cell metabolism, enhancing cell differentiation, and much more. Another treatment for ankle tendon tears is the regenerative cell therapy that utilizes undifferentiated cells to differentiate into almost any type of cell. These cells help in restoring the damaged tissues by enhancing the repair mechanism. Like PRP therapy, cells are harvested from the patient’s own body. And therefore, there is no chance of transmitting infectious diseases, and no risk of rejection or allergic reaction.
Conventional treatment methods mostly focus on treating the injury by masking the symptoms temporarily. However, regenerative therapies not only resolve the symptoms of the injury but also treat the underlying cause.
Conventional treatments include NSAIDs, steroids, and invasive, painful surgeries with general anaesthesia. Complications such as re-rupturing of the tendon or nerve pain may arise even after surgery. Steroids and NSAIDs are commonly administered for reducing pain and inflammation. However, this treatment does not involve restoring damaged tissues. Hence, these methods provide only temporary relief. If used for a longer duration, they can lead to many side effects.
However, ankle tendon tear treatment by regenerative therapies enhance the repair mechanism of the damaged tissues, along with the reduction of pain and inflammation. Hence, these therapies are considered as a potential ankle tendon surgery alternative. With regenerative treatment, patients undergo a minimally invasive procedure with local anaesthesia and with natural healing process kick-started they can return to their regular routine lives faster without any risks, by avoiding the painful and lengthy process of surgery
REFERENCES
Efficacy and Safety of Regenerative Treatment in Knee Osteoarthritis Patients after COVID-19 Vaccination Publication – 4 RESEARCH ARTICLE Journal Name: Journal of Stem Cell Research Background: COVID-19
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