Achilles Pain
What Is Achilles Pain?
Achilles Pain is a degenerative process caused by a sudden change in the loading of the tendon. This damage will lead to abnormal function, changes to the micro-cellular structure, a lower tolerance for stress in the tendon, pain and abnormal thickening. These degenerative changes are called Achilles Pain.
What Do Tendons Actually Do?
- Our tendons need to be strong enough to tolerate a high static load,
- They need to be able to move while having a load applied to them.
- Tendons need to be able to store and explosively release energy.
These three functions allow us to move, walk, hop, run and jump.
How Do We Treat Achilles Pain?
The initial step is to accurately diagnose the tendon problem (including requesting Ultrasound investigation)
Develop a plan for managing pain in the tendon using isometric strengthening exercises and ice.
Reduce the damaging load in the tendon via strapping, activity and footwear modification, gait retraining and appropriate orthotic intervention.
Manual therapies such as shockwave, massage, dry needling can accelerate the healing process.
Once pain and strength improve, modify exercises to stress the tendon while moving prescribe exercises to work on explosive power (plyometric exercises)
For help with achilles pain, call us on 08 7120 6063 or book online with our experienced team at Leading Edge Podiatry.