Do you suffer from a painful Achilles? Do you have stiffness, burning, tenderness or swelling of the area above your heel? You may notice it when you stretch your ankle or stand on your toes. Don’t under estimate Achilles pain! It is an area that can cause severe debilitation.
At Hunter Podiatry we enjoy treating this area of the body! Our patients are often able to return to sport, chase around after kids, or even just go for a casual walk with friends. We want you to continue doing what you love! If this is getting you down or someone you know, we can help!
Overview
The Achilles tendon attaches your calf muscles to your heel bone (calcaneus). It acts like a spring, which essentially provides for both elasticity and shock-absorbance. It is also the largest and strongest tendon in the human body, which moves the ankle joint.
Pathology/Injury
Generally speaking the most common issues we see in the Achilles are due to repetitive stress/overuse of the structure. There is a very specific treatment regime, which aids in the healing process that we can help you with.
Injuries to this structure may also be of a more acute nature i.e. a tear of the tendon. This may be resultant of an extreme force to the tendon. Whether that is a side step in rugby, or landing awkwardly in netball!
It is not only in adults we see pain in this area but also in pediatrics (kids). A condition called Calcaneal Apophysitis (more commonly known as Sever’s disease) is also linked to the Achilles tendon.
Summary/Treatment
As you can see from the above information, Achilles pain does not discriminate. Fortunately, our practice is able to help!! To start with, try and actively rest the area. This doesn’t mean stop all together. Just reduce how much you are doing. Avoid doing calf stretching at this stage and book an appointment with one of our friendly Podiatrist’s!
Our practitioners take an extensive medical history, look to identify any biomechanical asymmetry, reduce load on the tendon, supply a specific rehabilitation program, implement a prophylactic long-term treatment plan, provide footwear advice and also look to use the latest evidence based adjunctive therapies where required.
We want you to be doing what you love!