Achilles Tendon Pain & Calf Strain

The achilles tendon attaches the large, strong muscles below your knee to the back of your heel.  It is an extremely strong tendon that is exposed to enormous stress everyday.  When this stress becomes too much for the tendon, painful inflammation develops.

Pain is usually felt first thing in the morning or at the onset of activity/exercise.  The pain often subsides after several minutes of activity, once the tendon is warm.  At this point the tendon feels good.  But this is when the tendon is damaged.  By the time pain is felt again the damage has been done.  This is why achilles tendonitis is often referred to as the scourge of the athlete.

Careful management of achilles tendonitis is required to enable complete recovery and re-strengthening of the tendon.
Along with providing detailed and strict advice in the treatment of achilles tendonitis, your podiatrist needs to assess the cause of the damage.  At times it is purely an increase in activity that becomes too much for the tendon.  In other instances, there are biomechanical faults or tight muscles that need to be addressed to allow recovery to occur.