Get Back To Being Activite With Expert Podiatric Care For Achilles Tendinitis

Achilles tendinitis can turn into a disabling injury without appropriate care. Fortunately, your body’s built-in warning system tells you when it’s time to get off your feet and go to Foot & Ankle Centers of Frisco, Little Elm, & McKinney. Our podiatric team offers conservative and advanced treatments to heal your Achilles tendinitisand make a full recovery.

Achilles Tendonitis and the Risk Factors for Injury

Achilles tendinitis is one of the most common causes of foot and heel pain and occurs when your Achilles tendon is inflamed. This results in pain and stiffness along the Achilles tendon, which is the longest tendon in the body. This band of tissue connects the calf muscle to your heel bone, which means you can feel pain anywhere along the back of your leg, heel, or rearfoot area.

This condition is most commonly caused by overuse of the Achilles tendon, due to running and other physical activities that require repetitive movement and place repeated stress on the Achilles Tendon. You may experience Achilles tendinitis if you increase the duration or intensity of your exercise regimen. Failing to warm up properly before exercising and using poor form while working out are both possible causes of Achilles tendinitis. Lastly, as you age, you may be more prone to Achilles tendinitis because the tendon weakens over time.

Common Symptoms of Achilles Tendonitis

Achilles tendinitis usually starts out as a mild soreness or ache in the back of your lower leg. As more stress is placed on the Achilles Tendon, the intensity of pain, amount of swelling, and level of stiffness will increase. Usually, you will notice that these symptoms start after intense physical activity, like running.

Often, the pain is worse the next day and any movement from the foot and ankle will cause more pain. Additional signs of Achilles tendonitis include difficulty flexing the ankle and pointing the toes, swelling around the heel, and stiffness from the muscles related to the heel and ankle.

These symptoms don’t just go away on their own, at least not quickly. If you keep exercising after noticing Achilles tendinitis symptoms, you risk severe complications such as an Achilles tendon rupture.

How Do Our Podiatrists Heal Your Achilles Tendinitis?

At Foot & Ankle Centers of Frisco, Little Elm, & McKinney, our podiatrists will diagnose the severity of your Achilles tendinitis by performing a physical exam and asking questions about the history of your injury, but an MRI is required for a diagnosis. An MRI may uncover severe deep tendon damage requiring surgical repair or find an intact tendon that can withstand normal activities with a stretching program.

Most of the time, our patients get help right away and can be treated with conservative methods. For most people, resting the injured tendon, using ice and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs to keep swelling down, stretching properly, and wearing custom orthotics will provide enough support to heal the injury. Your doctor will recommend how long you should keep off of your injury and the types of stretching and strengthening exercises to rebuild your strength. Your doctor will also go over the types of orthotics that will be required for the different stages of healing, such as a walking cast boot, heel lift, and night splint.

For more severe cases, our doctors will recommend regenerative injection therapy in order to inject stem cells into the injury to help regenerate the tissue and promote healthy tissue to grow. This often helps reduce pain and improve mobility in our patients. Another option that our podiatrists can recommend is extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT). This produces similar results to regenerative injection therapy as the energy shockwaves stimulate the healing process. This method is best for treating injuries that have trouble healing due to chronic scar tissue.

How Does ESWT Heal Achilles Tendinitis?

Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy (ESWT) is a non-invasive treatment in which ultrasound shockwaves launch an intensified healing response in your Achilles tendon. The healing response includes growth factor release and stem cell recruitment to help you rebuild the damaged and weak tendon. ESWT has been found to promote improved blood flow to your Achilles tendon, which helps increase the production of collagen and break down scar tissue that has built up over time.

Studies show that many Achilles tendonitis sufferers experience complete symptom relief in just 1-3 treatment sessions. This nonoperative treatment is the best way to quickly reduce your pain, improve mobility and function, heal your tendon, and return to your life as soon as possible.

If you have pain and trouble healing from your Achilles tendonitis, call the Foot & Ankle Centers of Frisco, Little Elm, & McKinney today.

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Get Back To Being Activite With Expert Podiatric Care For Achilles Tendinitis

Achilles Tendonitis and the Risk Factors for Injury

Common Symptoms of Achilles Tendonitis

How Do Our Podiatrists Heal Your Achilles Tendinitis?

How Does ESWT Heal Achilles Tendinitis?

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