Characteristic of Posterior Tibialis Tendon Dysfunction and Adult Acquired Flatfoot Deformity in Professional Athletes

Abstract

Flatfoot cause several complications such as foot pain, knee pain, back pain, and postural disturbance. These pain rarely occur on babies and children, but the main cause of pain on runners and increase of sport injury. The purpose of this study was to identify characteristic posterior tibialis tendon dysfunction and adult acquired flatfoot deformity in professional athletes at East Java Indonesia. The sample consisted of 112 sample from 56 athletes (n=112) with complain such as foot pain, and knee pain underwent foot ultrasound and radiographic examination in Radiology Department of Soetomo General Academic Hospital Surabaya. Flatfoot was found in 79 sample (70,5%) while the other 33 sample (29,5%). Tenosynovitis that diagnosed from thickening of posterior tibialis tendon sheath was found in 69 sample (61,6%) and normal posterior tibialis tendon in 37 sample (38,4%). Partial tear in posterior tibialis tendon was found in 7 sample (6,3%), while the other 105 sample (93,7%) are without tear. Type of sport that has the largest percentage of flatfoot was wrestling 24 (21,4%) from all the sample. Most of the samples had bilateral flatfoot deformity (92,8%) and bilateral posterior tibialis tendon dysfunction (88,6%). In this study, amongst the athletes, the practitioners of wrestling and fencing had the largest number of flatfoot and tenosynovitis, whereas the largest percentage is gymnastics. The practitioners of wushu had the largest number and percentage of normal pedis radiographic x-ray and posterior tibialis tendon ultrasound. Majority of athletes had flatfoot deformity and posterior tibialis tendon dysfunction, however only a few that had partial tear in posterior tibialis tendon.