Achilles Tendinitis
The Achilles tendon is the longest tendon in the body and attaches the calf muscles in the lower leg to the heel.
Achilles tendonitis occurs when the Achilles tendon, the body’s largest tendon, becomes irritated or inflamed. Inflammation is the body’s natural response to injury or disease. Inflamed tissue results in symptoms such as swelling, irritation, or pain.
The Achilles tendon plays a critical role in various activities, including climbing, running, walking, jumping, and tiptoeing.
Despite its ability to withstand significant stress, overuse and degeneration can still affect the tendon. In such cases, a patient may require therapy or treatment for Achilles tendonitis to eliminate pain and swelling and normalize flexibility and strength.
Common Causes
Several factors increase the risk of Achilles tendonitis:
- Bone Spurs: The presence of extra bone growth near the heel bone can lead to rubbing against the tendon, causing pain and irritation.
- Activity alterations: A sudden and significant increase in tendon-related activities, such as switching to a more intense workout routine without allowing the body to adapt, can trigger Achilles tendonitis.
- Biomechanical Dysfunction: Sometimes, Achilles tendonitis can result from issues with movement in other parts of the leg, hip, or upper spine. In movement science we call it “regional interdependence, which means that body connections are important and that biomechanical dysfunctions elsewhere in the body can contribute to the condition.
- Lots of flexibility in the calf musculature.
Common Symptoms
Achilles tendonitis often presents with these typical symptoms:
- Morning Stiffness and Pain: Stiffness and pain along the Achilles tendon that tend to be most pronounced in the morning.
- Heel and Tendon Pain: Pain in the back of the heel or along the tendon, which usually intensifies with activity or pressure.
- Tendon Thickening: Thickening of specific parts of the tendon.
- Bone Spur or Extra Bone Growth: The presence of extra bone growth or a bone spur where the tendon meets the heel.
- Persistent Swelling: Swelling that does not subside and gradually worsens throughout the day.
If you ever experience a popping sensation in the back of your calf or heel, it’s important to seek immediate medical or physical therapy evaluation, as it could be a sign of a tendon rupture.
Diagnosing the Condition
Physical therapists look for the following signs when diagnosing Achilles tendonitis:
- Thickening of the tendon
- Swelling along the tendon up to the back of the heel
- Bony spurs behind the heel
- Pain along the tendon up to the back of the heel
- Point of tenderness along the tendon
- Decrease in the ability to move the foot and ankle
Physicians may also perform the following tests to diagnose this condition:
- X-rays determine whether there are bony spurs behind the heel or if the lower part of the tendon has hardened or calcified. These signs point to the insertional type of Achilles tendonitis.
- MRI or magnetic resonance imaging is used if the treatment plan includes surgery. It will highlight the extent of the damage in the tendon so the therapist can plan the surgery.
However, these diagnostic tests do not identify the actual cause. A more detailed movement assessment, assessing how the entire body moves, is required to find a long-term solution. Using the PróMotion Method to identify these movement dysfunctions is the best course of action.