The main symptom of Achilles tendinitis is pain at the back of the ankle. This pathology is more common in 35 year-old men and older. Results of a study have shown that those who suffer from this injury reduce their physical activity. Even if 84% of those who experience this pathology resume normal physical activity after recovering from Achilles tendinitis, it is essential to take action as soon as the first symptoms are felt.
The first steps in order to recover
Stretching
Stretching exercises:
Stretching exercises for Achilles tendinitis are useful to regain mobility in the ankle and to relieve pain in order to further proceed with rehabilitation of the tendon, progressively putting weight on it and doing strengthening exercises.
Strengthening exercises:
Strengthening exercises are important for your tendon in order to permanently recover and, even more so, when your injury is at a chronic stage. There are several ways of reinforcing the Achilles tendon and the easiest one is to work on the calves by rising onto the tips of your toes and lowering gently. However, you must be careful: although it is important to reinforce the Achilles tendon at this stage by putting weight on the injured tendon, too much could damage it!
We recommend that you consult a podiatrist who will be able to advise you appropriately according to your needs.
Put heel pads in your shoes
In order to decrease the pain, you can, with a podiatrist’s approval, put gel heel pads into your shoes. Thanks to these pads, your heel will be raised and decrease the tension on the Achilles heel. Be sure to wear heel pads in both shoes in order to avoid any imbalance or creating any additional discomfort. Moreover, do not keep your heel pads in for too long, so as not to reduce the flexibility of the tendon.
In a nutshell…
Achilles tendinitis can by very painful and may limit physical activity. That is why we advise you to take action as soon as the first symptoms are felt in order to avoid prolonging the healing process. We recommend that you consult a professional like a podiatrist in order to benefit from the best possible solutions.