Diagnosis
- mainly a clinical diagnosis
- palpation along the course of the nerve in the tarsal tunnel may elicit discomfort either locally or distally
- tarsal tunnel is on the medial aspect of the ankle passing from just behind the tibial malleolus towards the distal aspect of the calcaneus/navicular region
- tibial nerve splits into three (medial calcaneal, medial plantar and lateral plantar nerves), often with several branches in the region
- symptoms may be accentuated by passive pronation of the foot
- percussion of the nerve may cause symptoms distally (Tinel's sign) or proximally (Valleix phenomenon)
- X-rays, ultrasound and MRI scans are all helpful in diagnosing pathology that may cause nerve irritation
- nerve conduction studies are often reported for diagnosis - however it is not uncommon for these to be normal despite clinical symptoms (1)
- palpation along the course of the nerve in the tarsal tunnel may elicit discomfort either locally or distally
Reference:
- ARC. Common foot disorders. Hands On 2006;10:1-6.
Create an account to add page annotations
Add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation, such as a web address or phone number. This information will always be displayed when you visit this page