Achilles Pain

Understanding Achilles Pain- Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment Options

Achilles pain (Achilles tendinopathy) is a condition characterised by pain, stiffness, and swelling in the Achilles tendon, which connects your calf muscles to your heel bone. It's often caused by overuse or repetitive strain on the tendon, making it a common injury among people who do sports and active individuals.

Causes and Risk Factors

There can be several reasons why you might be experiencing Achilles pain, including:

• Overuse: Repetitive stress on the tendon, often from activities like running, jumping, or other sports.

• Poor training techniques: Incorrect technique or sudden increases in activity intensity.

• Lack of flexibility: Tight calf muscles can put extra strain on the tendon.

• Weight gain: Sudden weight gain can increase the load on the tendon.

• Pre-existing health conditions: Conditions like diabetes can affect tendon health.

Symptoms

Common symptoms of Achilles tendinopathy include:

• Pain and stiffness: Especially in the morning or after periods of rest, which occasionally gets better with movements.

• Swelling: Tenderness and swelling around the tendon.

• Weakness: Difficulty in performing activities that involve the Achilles tendon like single leg heel raises.

 

Treatment Options

Here are some effective and highly recommended treatment options that we offer at Relive Physiotherapy:

1. Shockwave Therapy for Achilles Tendinopathy

Shockwave therapy, also known as extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT), is a non-invasive treatment that uses sound waves to stimulate healing in the affected tendon. Here's how it works:

• Increasing Blood Flow: Shockwaves help improve blood circulation to the injured area, which is crucial for healing.

• Stimulating Collagen Production: Collagen is essential for tendon repair and strength. Shockwave therapy promotes collagen production, aiding in tendon repair.

• Breaking Down Scar Tissue: Scar tissue can form after an injury, especially in Tendo-Achilles as it’s the thickest tendon in the body with a very limited blood supply, limiting the tendon's flexibility and function. Shockwave therapy helps break down this scar tissue.

• Reducing Inflammation: The therapy helps reduce inflammation, which can reduce the pain and swelling.

• Relieving Pain: By promoting healing and reducing inflammation, shockwave therapy can provide significant pain relief.

 

2. Acupuncture for Achilles Tendinopathy

The Herringbone Technique in acupuncture is a specific method used to treat Achilles tendinopathy. It is a standardised and reproducible method that ensures consistent treatment for individuals with Achilles tendinopathy. Here's a detailed explanation of how it works:

Targeted Area: The needles are placed at 1/4, 1/2, and 3/4 of the distance along the tendon, ensuring that the mid-portion of the tendon is targeted.

Benefits of the Herringbone Technique

• Improved Blood Flow: The technique helps increase blood circulation to the tendon, promoting healing.

• Stimulating Collagen Production: By enhancing blood flow, the technique also stimulates collagen production, which is essential for tendon repair.

• Reducing Inflammation: The stimulation helps reduce inflammation, alleviating pain and swelling.

• Breaking Down Scar Tissue: The technique can help break down scar tissue, improving tendon flexibility and function.

3. Ultrasound therapy

Ultrasound therapy uses high-frequency sound waves to generate heat within the tissue. It is very similar to shockwave therapy, however comparatively, ultrasound produces soft sound waves. This heat can increase blood flow, reduce swelling, and promote healing in the affected area.

 

 Benefits of Ultrasound

• Pain Relief: The heat generated by ultrasound can help reduce the pain by relaxing muscles and reducing inflammation.

• Improved Healing and Tissue repair: Increased blood flow to the injured area can accelerate the healing process by delivering more oxygen and nutrients to the cells.

With a combination of exercise therapy and manual mobilization to the above mentioned techniques can provide a comprehensive approach to address the pain, promote healing and improve the overall function.

Following the five steps ladder here at Relive Physiotherapy, we not only focus on pain, but  Flexibility, Strength and Conditioning, Balance and Co-ordination including proprioception training, Agility training and Plyometrics, which can help you to get back to your favourite routine or sport.

Choose Chester’s Best Sports Injury Clinic, Relive Physiotherapy for your injury recovery plan.  You won’t regret it!