How to Manage Achilles Tendonitis
Having pain in the back side of your ankle when you run or play tennis? This can be pain driven from your Achilles tendon, commonly called Achilles Tendinitis. How do we know if this is what you are dealing with? Let’s talk about how this may present below!
The Achilles tendon is what connects your calf muscle to your heel bone to allow you to point your toes/push the gas pedal. This pain can often present at the base of this tendon where it meets the heel, in the middle of the tendon, or higher up in the tendon closer to the muscle. These are all variations of tendon pain, but would be addressed slightly differently so it’s important to know which area is most bothersome as this will direct your best treatment!
Commonly, this pain is stimulated with increased activity. Things such as running, jumping/hopping, ascending stairs, or getting in/out of car can all be pain provoking activities. Not to fret though, this is a very treatable pain!
When considering the risk factors for Achilles tendinitis, we can usually do our best to prevent this by maintaining adequate mobility through our calf muscles as well as, and more importantly, sustaining adequate load tolerance to activity. Achilles tendinitis is a muscle AND tendon diagnosis. The tendons in our body act like springs, needing to be able absorb load and disperse it appropriately. If the tendon itself doesn’t have the capacity to do this, pain can become present. You just need to have a tailored program to your specific deficits to re-teach your tendon how to work properly!
Have more questions about how physical therapy can help Achilles pain or ankle pain? I would be happy to chat further about how Loon State Physical Therapy can be your teammate in getting you back to moving and feeling your best! We have two convenient Minneapolis physical therapy locations to best help you get out of pain. Call us at (612) 405-8503 or book with us online at www.loonstatephysicaltherapy.com for an in-person or virtual appointment.
Until next time!
Andrew Eccles
Owner and Physical Therapist at Loon State Physical Therapy
