Achilles Tendonitis

This is typically the most common of the tendon disease in the foot and one of the most common of the general body. A minor injury can become a major injury if the proper measures are not taken and if an individual tries to disregard it.

Inflammation of the Achilles tendon that occurs in 3 stages:

1. Localized pain during or following activity.
2. Degenerative condition that usually does not produce symptoms, but may cause swelling or a hard knot of tissue on the back of the leg
3. Pain and swelling with activity. As this condition progresses, partial or complete tendon rupture may occur.

Can occur at 3 sites:

1. Upper portion by calf muscle
2. Behind ankle
3. Attached to heel bone

Symptoms

- Pain in the back of the heel.

• Most pronounced after periods of inactivity such as sleeping or sitting for a long period.
• Walking around will generally decrease but not eliminate the amount of pain.
• When exercising the pain is most prevalent when jumping or pushing off.

- Symptoms of an Achilles rupture

• Sudden sharp pain behind the ankle where patients describe hearing a “pop” and say they feel like someone kicked them in the heel even though there was no actually trauma.

Common Causes

- Age

• Individuals more prone due to the fact that as we age, the tendon becomes more rigid, which makes it more prone to inflammation and tearing.

- Poor Training Techniques

• Inadequate warm-up or rapid increase in intensity will put excessive tension on the tendon
• Concrete surfaces: do not allow for any shock absorption on impact and thus the shock of the foot hitting the ground results in damage to the posterior musculature including the Achilles tendon.
• Running on uneven surfaces such as sand or a “banked” road or running uphill results in more expenditure of energy by the lower leg muscles and applies more strain making the Achilles tendon more prone to injury

- Poor Athletic Shoes: Shoes that rub the heel of foot or do not have proper shock absorption can become underlying causes for inflammation

- Foot Structure: A foot that often pronates (heel angles inward) can cause Achilles tendon to overwork and may lead to injury. A foot that over supinates (heel angles outward) a poor shock absorbing foot and this too may lead to inflammation of the tendon.

Treatment

In order to reduce the complications associated with this condition, conservative care should be instituted immediately until you visit a Podiatrist.

• Icing the area will help reduce the inflammation and pain. In mild cases where you are still participating in athletics, I would advise ice both before and after exercise.
• Short-term use of anti-inflammatory medication is also helpful.
• If these simple measures do not seem to be helping, then cessation of the athletics activities (rest) is also mandatory.

Remember, our goal here is to minimize damage and not let the condition worsen!