A Retrospective Comparative Analysis on the Outcomes and Complications of Ultrasound Guided Corticosteroid Injection Around the Posterior Tibial Tendon

This study aims to identify outcomes after corticosteroid injection (CSI) in the posterior tibial tendon (PTT) sheath. The authors retrospectively analyzed data from February 28, 2018 to January 14, 2020 and performed a follow-up patient phone call to assess subjective data. Of the 27 patients, 19 (70%) reported some relief from the procedure; 17 of 27 (63%) reported this pain improvement as > 5 on the pain scale. Common side effects were temporary flares of pain (11/27, 41%) and whitening of skin (3/27, 11%). No severe side effects, including tendon rupture, were observed. The phone survey occurred at an average of 10.08 months after injection (range 4.16 – 26.23 months). No patient experienced major complications, and 70% of patients experienced significant relief from a CSI in the PTT sheath. However, the median duration of pain relief was only 1.5 months, and the minor side effect rate was 41% (11/27), which may indicate treatment failure and should be considered along with a discussion with the patient about these risks. (Journal of Surgical Orthopaedic Advances 35(1):019 – 021, 2026)

Key words: corticosteroid injection, tendonitis, tendinopathy, corticosteroid injection side effects, posterior tibial tendon