We’re not sure yet, but my physical therapist as well as an orthopedic I went to think I may have PAES which has something to do with the artery that supplies blood to the lower leg getting squeezed or pinched by overdeveloped leg muscles or some other abnormality.
From what I’ve been able to dig up online this isn’t a very common condition and it seems to occur mainly in athletes. I’m curious if anyone else on here has any knowledge of this condition or has had any experience with it themselves??
They took some x-rays of my ankle just to make sure there weren’t any bones out of place or anything…everything was as it should have been.
As far as symptoms go… they’re the worst when I run. After about 1/4 of a mile I get swelling in the area above both my ankles and my feet feel heavy…kind of hard to explain…but it’s almost like i’m running in combat boots. It doesn’t really manifest itself in any other daily activities with the exception of the occasional leg workout. Doesn’t seem to affect my strength or anything, but still get that heavy feet feeling.
The odd thing is that this is something new for me…probably in the last year or so. I’m a former Marine and never used to have any trouble running. Part of me wonders if it’s showing up now because over the last couple years I’ve really made a commitment to training my legs just as hard as I do my upper body. I have to wonder if increased weight as well as increased size of my calves, hams, and quads have come together to trigger the problems i’m having now.
i had that surgery five years ago. it’s compartment syndrome in your tibialis anterior and is caused by the sudden development of that muscle. the fascia that covers the muscle has no elasticity, and that is why you get the tight feeling. i used to play soccer and noticed that my feet were ice cold; no blood flow. the only option is surgery and it is pretty simple. your doc will slice the fascia from right outside your knee down to the outer ankle but will be sure to not cut the nerve. you are left with two tiny incisions. mine aren’t even noticeable. this kind of problem arises when you are involved in explosive sports such as soccer and tennis. it heals pretty quickly. being a stubborn irishman, i ran on the treadmill nine days later and played a full soccer match thirty days after. never had a problem since. the only issue post-surgery was some swelling on the outside of the knee; it pinches the nerve and hurts like a mother but goes away in a few days. good luck.