As the foot remains severely flattened the problems of altered gait can cause many other problems such as knee, hip, back, and neck problem. Therefore it is most important to address this problem properly and quickly.
There are two options that of surgery to shorten the tendon and to realign the navicular or the other less drastic option to use prescription orthotics, prescribed by a Podiatrist. Orthotics are rather similar to a dental brace, as it had the same effect of pushing the bones back into the right position while supporting the foot and correcting alignment.
After six to nine months there should be a marked improvement, the arch should have started to build up and the navicular bone should have moved in to its proper position, and the posterior tibial tendon shortened. Thus alleviating the patient of severe pain.
As the foot has regained its arch height and where there has been a leg length discrepancy on the other foot where it has been been difference in shortness of up to 1/2 inch, the other foot under treatment has an had an increase in height.
If the patient has had leg length discrepancy before the treatment there is not much difference between to length of the two legs, due to arch collapse, but if after the foot under treatment regains its height the there is be an increase in LLD on the foot under treatment. Therefore, it is then necessary to put a heel raise into the orthotic to account for the new difference in the regained height of the treated foot .
by Steve Kite Podiatrist in Wimborne, Dorset
http://scholar.google.co.uk/scholar?q=posterior+tibial+dysfunction&hl=en&as_sdt=0&as_vis=1&oi=scholart
