Posterior tibial tendon dysfunction in the athlete.

It has been demonstrated that athletes who are properly diagnosed and treated early for PTT dysfunction with aggressive conservative management typically have a much better prognosis and are able to return to activities much sooner. Conservative management of this over-use or traumatic injury is helpful, even as a stop-gap measure in anticipation of a inevitable surgical correction. For the elderly, sedentary, or high-risk patient, aggressive conservative care is a viable option in lieu of surgical intervention. If surgery is indicated, however, there are a multitude of procedures to choose depending on the pathology and its extent.