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How Do You Know if You Have Damaged Your Achilles Tendon?

Common problems with the achilles tendon include tendonitis and tendon rupture. Tendonitis is related to chronic overuse, and can arise in athletes and non-athletes alike. Tendonitis tends to occur gradually and progressively worsens over time, without any notable weakness. Tendonitis is commonly treated conservatively with physical therapy and home exercises.

Achilles tendon rupture is a very different problem, usually resulting from an acute injury. It often happens without contact or impact, and feels like being struck in the back of the heel (with or without a loud pop). It is usually associated with pain, bruising, and weakness, but some patients don't notice any symptoms after…

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 Running Again

I am of course very lucky that at this stage of life the main thing that's wrong with me (physically) is one very beat-up Achilles tendon. The technical term goes beyond the familiar tendinitis to the much grimmer sounding "tendinosis."

Articles of Interest

Achilles tendon injuries

The Achilles tendon is one of the most important and multifunctional tendons in the body. A conjoining of the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles, the tendon spans three different joints and is integral in knee flexion, foot plantar flexion, and hindfoot inversion. Given the broad array of critical functions that it helps to provide, injury to the Achilles tendon can be devastating. Pathology of the Achilles tendon can be acute or chronic, ranging from tendinosis to frank tears, and can broadly affect athletes and non-athletes alike.

Achilles tendon injuries: Why do they take so long to heal?

A torn or ruptured Achilles tendon is every athlete’s – and sports fan's – greatest fear. They always seem to happen in a split second: One quick pivot or a hard hit and, just like that, you or your favorite player are sidelined for nearly a year.

Common Conditions of the Achilles Tendon

The Achilles tendon, the largest tendon in the body, is vulnerable to injury because of its limited blood supply and the combination of forces to which it is subjected. Aging and increased activity (particularly velocity sports) increase the chance of injury to the Achilles tendon.

How Defying One’s Boss Led To A New Medical Discovery

Håkan Alfredson accidentally discovered a new method to treat Achilles tendon injuries without surgery.

It Hurt Achilles, and Now It's Hurting Me

THERE was nothing heroic about what happened to my Achilles tendon.

It’s not just athletes who get Achilles tendon pain, but exercising is the answer

Many labels are used to describe what’s going on when the tendon is injured. People are often told their tendon is torn and may think of it as a rope hanging on by a thread. These descriptions are unhelpful and inaccurate, often leading to expensive and unnecessary treatments.

Mapping the body: achilles tendon

The achilles tendon is is crucial for walking, running and jumping – and if it ruptures, you'll be in a cast for weeks.

Take the load off your feet: how to deal with achilles tendinopathy

Achilles tendinopathy is a fairly common injury for runners, and there are several forms of treatment. But what works and what doesn’t?

The Achilles, One Heel of a Problem

Achilles' tendon injuries are most common in stop-and-go sports demanding sudden leaping, lunging or sprinting. Football, basketball, tennis and volleyball are prime examples.

What Nuclear Bombs Tell Us About Our Tendons

You really don't want to mess with your Achilles tendons. Trust us, injury to these tendons can take months to heal, and even then recovery is often not complete. A big reason the Achilles is such a foot-dragger at getting better is that the tendon tissue we have as adults is basically the same as we had when we were teenagers.

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PhysioHey

The Achilles tendon is a combined tendon of the two muscles in the calf, the larger muscle being Gastrocnemius and smaller muscle being Soleus. This tendon is the strongest tendon in the body, it can still become overloaded or suffer from overuse resulting in pain and discomfort.