Nonsurgical management of posterior tibial tendon dysfunction with orthoses and resistive exercise: A randomized controlled trial

36 patients with stage I or II tibialis posterior tendinopathy were randomized to early non-surgical management using one of three treatment options - all including the use of orthoses. The first group combined orthoses with eccentric resistive exercises, the second group combined it with concentric resistive exercises, and the final group served as a control group, combining othoses with stretching. Results indicated that at the 12 week intervention, combining exercise and orthoses resulted in improved function and reduced pain compared to the control, with concentric exercise + orthoses yielding the greatest improvements.