Achilles tendinopathy is a painful condition affecting the Achilles tendon, which attaches the calf muscles to the heel bone. In most cases, Achilles tendinopathy is a type of overuse injury and is more common in younger people.
Treatment includes rest, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs NSAIDs , physical therapy and avoiding activities that aggravate the condition. A tendon is a band of connective tissue that anchors muscle to bone. The Achilles tendon is the largest tendon in the body.
It attaches the calf muscles to the heel bone calcaneus and is very important because it lets you lift your heel when you start to walk. It also helps you to walk, run or stand on tiptoe. If you think that you may have Achilles tendinopathy, see your doctor or a physiotherapist. Methods used to make a diagnosis may include:.
The aim of the treatment is to reduce strain on the tendon, prevent further injury and allow repair:. Recovery is often slow and will depend on the severity of the condition and how carefully you follow the treatment and care instructions you are given. The use of injectable agents such as corticosteroid steroid injections is not routinely recommended, as there is inconsistent information on their effectiveness and steroid injections into the tendon may cause tendon rupture.
You can speak to your doctor for further information. Surgery is only recommended if all other treatment options have failed. In this situation, badly damaged portions of the tendon may be removed. If the tendon has ruptured, surgery is necessary to re-attach the tendon.
Rehabilitation, including stretching and strength exercises, is started soon after the surgery. When your foot lands in front of your trunk, especially if you land on the forefoot, you end up putting all the weight on your Achilles tendon.
While Uhan said that the most common problem he see is from overstriding, there are other issues that lead to Achilles injuries as well. That kind of stress can cause inflammation. Fortunately, the Achilles tendon is the strongest tendon in the body. Often Achilles tendinitis manifests first as stiffness in the joint that eventually warms up. If, when you first notice the stiffness, you take preventive measures to increase ankle flexibility and pull back on your mileage, speedwork and hill running, then you can avoid it turning into a serious problem.
Put a thin towel over the skin to protect it from the cold. What Else Should I Know? To lower your risk of Achilles tendonitis again: Stay in good shape year-round. Drink plenty of water to flush out inflammation, and eat healthy whole grains, vegetables, and fruits to decrease inflammation. Increase the intensity and length of your exercise sessions gradually. This is especially important if you've been inactive for a while or you're new to a sport.
Always warm up before you go for a run or play a sport and cool down by stretching after. Stretch your legs, especially your calves, hamstrings, quadriceps, and thigh muscles. After activity, hold your stretches for 30 seconds and repeat several times a day. Relative rest means that you stay as active as possible while your Achilles tendon recovers. You only cut out the things that really aggravate your tendon and keep everything else.
The tricky part is to figure out what level of activity your tendon currently can cope with that does not cause your pain to increase. If you did something today that was OK at the time, but then you have a lot more pain the next morning, that level of activity was too much and should be reduced. For example, if you can run slowly for 20 minutes without any discomfort during or after the run or the next morning , that run is absolutely fine to continue with. If, however, you find that your Achilles pain increases every time you try even a short run, you would be better off replacing it with walking, swimming or cycling until your tendon is stronger.
Or you may find that you are absolutely fine if you walk for 30min on a flat surface, but that your tendon hurts when your walk on uneven ground — then stick to walking on the flat.
Sometimes it can feel as if your tendon pain has flared up for no reason. In these cases it can be useful to look at the other things you did during those days.
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