Achilles Tendinitis

What is Achilles tendinitis?

Achilles tendinitis results when the Achilles tendon — which is the thick band of muscles which connects your calf muscles to your heel bone — is injured, causing inflammation, swelling, and pain. Achilles tendinitis makes it difficult and painful to walk or perform even mundane activities, as any strain on the Achilles tendon (strenuous or not) can cause an increase in pain and discomfort.

What causes Achilles tendinitis?

Achilles tendinitis is an overuse injury. This means that the injury occurs as a result of pushing your Achilles tendon beyond what it can reasonably withstand. While there's many ways to injure the Achilles tendon, here's a few of the most common causes of Achilles tendinitis:

• Repeated strain on the Achilles tendon. By far the most common way to cause Achilles tendinitis is to simply overwork the tendon without giving proper time and rest for the tendon to recover. Exercising, standing for long periods of time, walking long distances, and other activities can overwork the tendon if done frequently.
• Running and/or jumping without proper stretching and/or warmup. Before performing any strenuous activities, you should always ensure that your muscles are warmed up and stretched well. This will help prevent injury that might result from your muscles and tendons being too tight to withstand your activities.
• Having an extremely tight Achilles tendon and/or calf muscles. If you find that your calves or Achilles tendon are naturally stiff and/or tight, even walking could be enough to cause injury. If you find that the backs of your legs are often stiff and tight, try regularly massaging the area in order to try and loosen the Achilles tendon somewhat.
• Overpronation and supination. Those who over-pronate or who supinate when they walk naturally put more strain on the Achilles tendon compared to those who pronate normally. Over time, overpronation and supination can both lead to Achilles tendinitis as the Achilles tendon becomes overworked.

How can I prevent Achilles tendinitis?

The best thing you can do to prevent Achilles tendinitis is simply ensure that you're not putting too much strain on the backs of your legs. A few simple things you can do on a regular basis include:

• Stretching. We recommend stretching often, not just before exercise or strenuous activities. But if you're going to be exercising or performing strenuous activities, absolutely make sure that you stretch your feet and legs well beforehand.
• Limit overuse. Where possible, avoid causing sustained, repeated strain on the Achilles tendon. This includes sitting vs. standing when possible, incorporating "rest days" into demanding workout routines, and giving your feet time to recover after stress or strain.
• Alleviate tension. If putting repeated strain on the Achilles tendon isn't possible, the next best thing is to help alleviate tension on the tendon. Use a shoe insert or insole with an elevated heel to lift the heel of the foot to reduce how much the Achilles tendon has to stretch.

How is Achilles tendinitis treated?

Like with any overuse injury, our primary objectives are to 1) Prevent further damage to the affected area, and 2) Allow the affected area time to heal. With Achilles tendinitis specifically, this means alleviating strain on the Achilles tendon as much as possible. We do this a number of ways:

1. Keep the heel elevated. Wearing heel lifts, shoes with a raised heel, or insoles with an elevated heel will all help alleviate strain on the Achilles tendon. This, in turn, will help prevent further damage while also allowing the Achilles tendon to begin healing.
2. Avoid strenuous activities. Even with proper heel support, strenuous activities will still put strain on the Achilles tendon. Avoid activities that involve running and jumping, as these activities are likely to cause further injury and/or aggravation to the Achilles tendon.
   
3. Where appropriate, use ice and anti-inflammatory medications. These will help to control swelling and inflammation, which can in turn help reduce the amount of pain and discomfort that Achilles tendinitis will cause.
4. Where appropriate, use a warm foot bath and or gentle massage. Both a warm foot bath and a gentle massage will help to promote circulation to the Achilles tendon and alleviate tension, which will help improve recovery and prevent injury.