Achilles Tendonitis

What is Achilles tendonitis?

As the largest tendon in your body, your Achilles tendon is particularly prone to injury. Your Achilles tendon is responsible for connecting your calf muscles to your heel bone. Even though your Achilles tendon is designed to stretch and bounce back into place with each step you take, in some cases, it can become injured and inflamed, a condition known as Achilles tendonitis.

In most cases, Achilles tendonitis occurs because of overuse. If you’re active in sports, particularly dancing, basketball, tennis, running, football, and other running and jumping activities, the frequent strain on your Achilles tendon can lead to chronic inflammation.

While Achilles tendonitis can affect men and women of all ages, this painful condition is most common after age 30. As you get older, your Achilles tendon loses some of its natural stretching ability, which increases your risk of chronic inflammation.

What are the symptoms of Achilles tendonitis?

Achilles tendonitis can lead to chronic discomfort or pain that worsens with activity. As your case of Achilles tendonitis worsens, you may also experience:

• Tenderness
• Inflammation
• Heel pain
• Bumps or swelling

Your dedicated podiatrist at the Center for Podiatric Medicine evaluates your lower leg and may watch you walk to evaluate the severity of your condition. To help diagnose you and put together your treatment plan, they might also request in-office digital X-rays or ultrasounds.

How can I get relief from Achilles tendonitis?

Your Achilles tendonitis treatment plan is likely going to include several different types of therapies to relieve acute pain and inflammation, while promoting healing. Achilles tendonitis therapies include conservative and regenerative medicine options, such as:

• Activity modifications
• Physical therapy
• Custom orthotic inserts
• Immobilization and bracing
• Heel lifts
• Amniotic membrane injections
• Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections
• Extracorporeal pulse activation technology (EPAT)
• Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)

It takes time for an inflamed Achilles tendon to heal. But with the help of the board-certified podiatry team at the Center for Podiatric Medicine, you can get effective relief once and for all.

Click on the online scheduler to book your Achilles tendonitis evaluation today. You can also call any location directly.