- Shop By Sport or Activity
- Baseball Injuries & How To Treat Them
- BasketBall Injuries & How To Treat them
- Cricket Injuries & How To Treat Them
- Gardening Injuries & How To Treat Them
- Hockey Injuries & How To Treat Them
- Lacrosse Injuries & How To Treat Them
- Adhesive Tape For Lacrosse Injuries
- Athletic Supporters For Lacrosse Injuries
- Back Braces For Lacrosse Injuries
- Calf, Thigh & Shin Supports For Lacrosse Injuries
- Hip & Groin Supports For Lacrosse Injuries
- Kinesiology Tape for Lacrosse Injuries
- Knee Braces for Lacrosse Injuries
- Wrist Braces For Lacrosse Injuries
- Soccer Injuries & How To Treat Them
- Shop By Brand
- 18 Paths
- 360 Athletics
- 3M
- Alliance
- Almedic
- Andover
- Axelgaard
- Bare Medical
- Baxter
- BioSkin®
- BioFreeze
- Body Sport
- BSN Medical
- Cando
- Chattanooga
- Covidien™ (formerly Kendall™)
- Cramer® Sports Medicine
- Darco
- DryPro®
- DynaPro Health
- Glustitch
- HealthSmart
- InfraCare
- InnoTech
- Its You Babe™
- Kego
- Kinesio®
- Legend® Compression Wear
- Lernapharm
- LP® Support
- McArthur Medical Sales
- McDavid®
- Mueller® Sports Medicine
- ProBand®
- Quality Elastics
- Relief Pak
- Renfrew Athletics
- Resist-A-Band™
- SAM Medical
- Shock Doctor®
- Synergy Medical Supply
- Shop By Injury
- Knee Injuries
- Knee Pain
- Chondromalacia
- Bottom Of Heel Pain
- Achilles Heel Pain
- Side Of Heel Pain
- Cracking Sound In Knee
- IT Band Syndrome
- Knee Arthritis
- Knee Bursitis
- Knee Joint Instability
- Sprained Knee
- Knee Swelling
- Knee Tendonitis
- Pain Above Kneecap
- LCL Tear
- MCL Tear
- Meniscus Tear
- Osgood Schlatter Disease
- Patellar Subluxation
- Patellar Tendinitis
- Runners Knee
- Foot/Ankle Injuries
- Shoulder Injuries
- Leg Injuries
- Back Injuries
- Elbow Injuries
- Hip/Groin Injuries
- Wrist/Thumb Injuries
- Other Injuries
- Knee Injuries
- Shop By Body Part
- Shop By Therapy
- Knowledge Center
- Store Directory
Achilles Tendonitis
The achilles tendon is a tough strip of fibrous tissue that runs from your heel bone to the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles of the calf. Achilles tendonitis is a repetitive stress injury that occurs when this tendon becomes inflamed and painful. In some cases, the achilles tendon may also be swollen.The insertional type of achilles tendonitis is a variant of this condition. With insertional achilles tendonits, the pain and inflammation occurs at the point at which the achilles tendon connects to the heel bone. The treatment of achilles tendonitis requires resting the tendon and allowing it to recover naturally. Warm up and stretching exercises are also useful in preventing the return of the condition.
Causes
Achilles tendonitis is usually the result of a sudden increase in training intensity among runners. It also frequently afflicts middle aged individuals who participate in running sports like tennis or basketball every few days after periods of inactivity. In general, this condition occurs when you subject your tendon to sudden sharp increases in activity without being allowed to warm up properly.
Symptoms
Achilles tendonitis usually announces itself with a moderate aching in the back of your leg just above the heel. As time passes, you may start to experience more severe pain in the achilles tendon. This may be especially the case after a run or maybe after climbing a flight of stairs.
In addition to pain, you may experience stiffness or tenderness in the area of your achilles tendon. This tenderness may be especially pronounced when you take your first steps after awakening in the morning.
As we have mentioned above, insertional achilles tendonitis is a form of tendonitis in which your pain occurs near the heel. In all other respects, the symptoms of this form of achilles tendonitis are as we have described above.
Swollen Achilles Tendon
If you have achilles tendonitis, you may also experience a swollen achilles tendon. However, this condition can also be the result of degeneration of the tendon. Therefore, be careful not to jump to conclusions if you notice that the tendon is swollen. Instead, consult with your doctor to understand the cause.
Treatment Of Achilles Tendonitis
The primary treatment of this condition is rest. Refraining from intensive physical activity for a few days or weeks will normally result in the disappearance of the pain and other symptoms.
However, you can also take steps to reduce the likelihood that the tendonitis returns (or to prevent its occurrence in the first place):
- Warm up and stretch properly before commencing a run or any other strenuous activity;
- If you intend to increase your running intensity, do so gradually over an extended period instead of suddenly;
- Follow an exercise program to strengthen your calf muscles and increase their ability to handle the stresses of a more intense activity level;
- Choose footwear that has more cushioning under your heel and better arch support, particularly when running.
Suggested Achilles Tendonitis Products
Showing all 6 results