Introduction:
This article reports a case of surgical repair of traumatic rupture of tibialis posterior (TP) tendon in a young healthy male after alleged history of grinder (heavy machine) injury over the foot, with the help of a suture anchor and running whip stitch followed by immobilization in a below knee slab postoperatively. The acute rupture of the TP tendon (TPT), compared to an acute rupture of the Achilles tendon, is a quite uncommon disease to be diagnosed in the emergency department setting. In most cases symptoms related to a TP dysfunction, like weakness, pain along the course of the tendon, swelling in the region of the medial malleolus, and the partial or complete loss of the medial arch with a flatfoot deformity precede the complete rupture of the tendon.
Case report:
A 32-year-old healthy male presented to the outpatient clinic with a history of pain and swelling in the right foot for 10 months after alleged history of sustaining a grinder (heavy machine) injury to the medial aspect of the right foot 10 months ago. Anteroposterior and oblique radiographs of the right foot suggestive of no skeletal pathology and patient was managed conservatively with analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and compression bandaging. A magnetic resource imaging of the right foot was advised after no relief of symptoms and was suggestive of high-grade tear of the distal tibialis posterior tendon from the level of medial malleolus to its insertion. Surgical repair of the TPT was planned with a suture anchor placed in the navicular bone. The procedure was carried out under spinal anesthesia and there were no complications in the intraoperative or post-operative period. Patient was given a below knee slab with the foot in inversion postoperatively which was revised into a below knee cast with foot in inversion. Six-week post-operative follow-up, cast was removed and physiotherapy was started for the patient that included Active Ankle ROM and Gait Training, patient had a Modified Olerud and Molander Score of 45/100. Six-month post-operative follow-up, patient was relieved of chronic pain and was able walk and stand on his toes without pain and showed significant improvement in gait with Modified Olerud and Molander Score 90/100.
Conclusion:
The TPT is the main dynamic stabilizer of the medial longitudinal arch of the foot. With appropriate surgical technique, adequate post-operative immobilization followed by physiotherapy surgical repair of the TPT helped alleviate the chronic pain experienced by the patient during weight bearing activities.