The Achilles tendon is the largest and strongest tendon in the body and is extremely important to allow us to walk, run and jump.  Nearly half of all sports-related injuries involves the Achilles tendon or the ankle.  This cause is due to overuse, trauma or more commonly where there is a sudden increase or sudden change in activity.

Symptoms

• Pain above your heel
• Tender, stiff and swollen tendon
• Difficulty to push off when your walk
• Inability to dorsiflex your foot (cannot point your foot towards you)

Diagnosis

There are 2 important conditions to rule out when you have pain around your ankle namely

a) Achilles Tendon Rupture

b) Achilles Tendon Degeneration (known as Achilles Tendonosis)

If there is any doubt, you will need to see a specialist to make the correct diagnosis because the treatment and expected recovery for each of the condition is very different from each other.  Achilles Tendon Rupture requires surgery while Achilles Tendon Degeneration may be treated by conservative treatment and regular physiotherapy.

Conservative Treatment for mild injury

• Rest your leg and place ice pack on it for 15-20 minutes at a time
• Avoid putting weight on your leg by using crutches
• Compress your leg by using an elastic bandage around the calf and ankle to reduce the swelling
• Raise your leg and place it on a pillow when you are sitting or lying down
• Insert a heel lift in your shoe to prevent your Achilles tendon from further stretching
• Perform stretching and strengthening exercises as directed by your doctor or physiotherapist

Click to watch DoctorJo video on Achilles tendon Stretches and Exercises

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If you think you may be suffering from any medical condition, you should seek immediate medical attention from your doctor or other professional healthcare providers. You should never delay seeking medical advice, disregard medical advice, or discontinue medical treatment because of information on this website.