Ankle bone instability is something that is seen in childhood. Unfortunately, most parents and children are told that it is nothing to be concerned about and that the child will just outgrow this condition. This is not based on any science. Rather, most physicians are focused on the normal “fat” that can be found in the inner arch in babies, and as the baby matures, that fat disappears. A displaced ankle has never been proven to fix itself. Let's talk about the posterior tibial tendon; it's the strongest tendon that supports the inner arch of the foot. It is responsible to lift the inner arch during the walking cycle. When the ankle bone displaces on the heel bone, this places an increased strain on the tendon. The posterior tibial tendon is over-stretched more than 100 million times by the age of 60.
Eventually, these excessive forces acting on the tendon will take their toll and the tendon looses it’s strength and becomes diseased painful.
There are 4 stages or grades of chronic tendon destruction. Unfortunately, the tendon dysfunction will continue to get worse and most treatments are only aimed at temporary relief, rather than eliminating the excessive strain.
Partial ankle dislocation will place an increased strain on the ligament(s) supporting the joints. There are nerve sensors located in the ligament that send a signal to the spinal cord that there is too much strain on the ligament. The spinal cord sends a signal to the muscles that support the inner arch to contract. The tendon connects the foot bones to the muscle in the lower leg. The only problem is that the excessive forces acting on the ligaments, muscles, and tendons will continue day after day, year after year, until the soft tissues stretch out and lose their ability to compensate for the excessive forces.
The solution begins with realignment and stabilization of the ankle bone. A misaligned and displaced ankle bone leads to excessive strain on the mid- and forefoot. Think EOTTS – HyProCure. HyProCure has been safely and effectively in thousands of pediatric and adult patients since 2004. HyProCure is the only extra-osseous talotarsal stabilization device that works with the normal bio-mechanics unlike other devices that work against the normal function and often lead to failure of the device. EOTTS is an internal correction for an internal problem.
