Extensor Tendinitis

I am down with an injury called extensor tendinitis. I believe it occured during last Saturday's long run. There was a dull pain after Sat's run at the top of my left foot but it went away quickly. I did not feel any pain while running my tempo on Monday but as soon as I finished running I felt it.

Icing the foot and oral anti inflamatories helped and I did not feel any pain yesterday before my evening run. After 1k I started feeling a slight pain but by km 3 it was gone. The pain returned after my run. Once again icing the foot and the oral anti inflamatories with rest has helped and the pain is gone today. I need to rest completely for a few days and continue treatment.

I shall leave my Penang bridge marathon registration to the very last minute. There is a possibility of switching to the half marathon if I can't get in sufficient training or if ANY injury occurs or persists.

Description

The extensor tendons to the foot come from the relatively small muscles in the front of the leg. The two main extensor muscles are the Extensor Hallucis Longus muscle (EHL) and the Extensor Digitrorum Longus muscle (EDL).

The tendons from these muscles cross the front of the ankle, pass across the top of the foot and attach into the big toe (EHL) and lesser toes (EDL). These tendons function to pull the foot upward and work with resistance from the Achilles tendon and the calf muscles (flexor muscle group) that pulls the foot downward.

Cause of Extensor Tendonitis:

When these tendons become over stressed they become inflamed and painful. Swelling may accompany the inflammation. Most commonly it is the extensor tendon to the big toe (EHL) that is affected. In other instances the extensor tendons to the lesser toes (EDL) is affected. The most common factors that cause extensor tendonitis are excessive tightness of the calf muscles, over exertion during exercise and falling of the foot arch.

A simple test to determine if the pain on the top of the foot is due to extensor tendonitis is to flex the foot downward and have a friend provide resistance to the top of the toes. Try to pull the toes upward against resistance. If you experience pain across the top of the foot or along the course of a tendon on the top of the foot then the diagnosis is likely extensor tendonitis.

Treatment:

In mild cases of extensor tendonitis treatment consists of calf muscle stretching and oral anti-inflammatory medications. In more sever cases treatment may include a removable below the knee cast, calf muscle stretching and oral anti-inflammatory medications. Many podiatrists may also recommend long term treatment with inserts for the shoes called orthotics