So what is Achilles tendonitis, actually it is an injury of Achilles tendon which occurs due to stress and tension on Achilles tendon? Achilles tendon is the band of tissue that attached with your calf muscles at the heel bone to your lower leg. Massage is also a great way to treat Achilles tendonitis. A soothing and soft massage in the lower part of your heel and foot will improve blood circulation, relax the muscles, and reduce stiffness and swelling. For massage, you can use coconut, olive or mustard oil.
You can also use a portable massage gun to do the massage. A portable massage gun like Exogun DreamPro will work best as this deep tissue massager will boost your muscle function and recovery. Exogun revives muscle, boosts blood circulation and releases energy. Used by the pros, Exogun delivers the ultimate recovery!
There are two types of Achilles tendonitis:
Insertional Achilles tendonitis: This tendon is attached to your heel bone and affects the lower portion of your tendon.
No insertional Achilles tendonitis: This type of tendon injury affect the middle portion of your tendon and normally affect younger people who participate in a different type of activities.
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Causes of Achilles Tendonitis
This injury occurs due to increase or repetition in the number of physical activities. A few causes include:
- This injury occurs due to the sudden increase in the number of runs or physical activities.
- It occurs to the people who are in their middle age and rarely play sports.
- Achilles tendonitis also be caused by wearing high heels on daily basis.
- It might occur due to the age factor because Achilles tendon weakens with age.
- It also caused by without doing proper warm up, without doing any stretching before doing exercises, jumping and running.
- Wearing uncomfortable shoes or shoes without proper support.
- Also caused by sports that require the quick stop or sudden change in direction like basketball and football.
- Achilles tendonitis can also be caused by the overpronation due to stress and tightness of muscles.
Symptoms of Achilles Tendonitis
Pain in the heel and in the back of your leg is one of the important symptoms of Achilles tendonitis. The inflammation and swelling during sports, running or jumping. There are many other symptoms through which you can know that you have Achilles tendonitis like maybe you will face difficulty during walking or standing, tenderness when touched and stiff muscles.
Home Treatment of Achilles Tendonitis
After doing proper home treatments Achilles tendonitis normally heals on its own but we are mentioning some of the important steps you should take if you want to speed up the healing process you should do this under the supervision of your doctor or surgeon.
1. Rest
Do rest, try your best that do not apply extra weight and stress on your tendon. During your recovery period, take care that does not apply any stress and additional weight on your tendon.
2. ICE Therapy
Set ice on the painful area at least up to 20 minutes and at least do it one time in a day. You can also use a reusable ice pack for this treatment just place it on your skin for 15 to 20 minutes. Ice therapy helps the swelling or inflammation go down faster.
3. Exercises
There are many exercises which are recommended by a doctor which helps the Achilles tendon to recover faster. Exercise like Single leg heel drop, calf stretch, eccentric strengthening protocol, and bilateral heel drop helps in healing.
4. Braces
To control the motion of your foot you can also wear braces for Achilles tendonitis. Braces help to limit the movement of the heel to protect your Achilles from stress.
5. Inserts
If your foot rolls inward more than fifteen percent it is called as “overpronation” it means the foot and ankle have problems stabilizing the body and due to too much motion of the foot can cause Achilles tendonitis. In case you are an overpronator or have flat feet you should use inserts in your shoes which can control the extra motion of the foot.
6. Elastic Bandages or Warm Wraps
Elastic bandages or warm wraps are another good way to control the amount of stress on the tendon. These bandages can control the inflammation and pain and makes your recovery process faster, they are really affordable and easy to find in the market.
7. Massage
Massage is also a great way to treat Achilles tendonitis. A soothing and soft massage in the lower part of your heel and foot will improve blood circulation, relax the muscles, and reduce stiffness and swelling. For massage, you can use coconut, olive or mustard oil.
