A few days ago, my brother was told by the doctor that he suffered from Achilles Tendonitis, and could never run again.
Fortunately he was just a casual runner. That is why the news of Achilles Tendonitis did not really affect him too much.
That was the time when we heard of
Achilles Tendonitis
.
What is Achilles Tendonitis?
I remember reading about Achilles’ heel before. According to ancient
Greek myth
, Achilles had only one weakness, and that was his heel.
That is how the Achilles tendon was coined. Achilles tendon connects the calf muscles to the heel bone and is the largest tendon in our body. When our calf muscles contract, they will pull the heel through tightening of the Achilles tendon.
Achilles tendon can withstand forces of a thousand pounds. Achilles tendon is important in activities such as jumping, running and walking. It allows us to stand on tiptoe.
However, Achilles tendon ruptures easily. Runners are especially vulnerable to Achilles Tendonitis.
Causes of Achilles Tendonitis
There are many causes of Achilles Tendonitis.
One cause of Achilles Tendonitis is the rapid increasing of running speed. The sudden burst of running when you play tennis, basketball or badminton can make the Achilles tendon to tear.
The second cause of Achilles Tendonitis is when adding running and stair climbing to usual training routine. The risk is when falling or stumble when you are running or stair climbing at a fast speed.
The third cause of Achilles Tendonitis is in the final sprint, since the sudden and hard contraction of calf muscles cause trauma to Achilles tendon. This can happen when you are starting a foot race or jumping.
The fourth cause of Achilles Tendonitis is a result of overusing and aging. The Achilles tendon can weaken considerably with age, lack of use, overuse, or certain conditions and the resulting medications.
The lack of flexibility in the calf muscles increase the risk of Achilles Tendonitis.
The last cause of Achilles Tendonitis is when falling from a height. The impact of the fall can result in a complete tear in Achilles tendon.
Symptoms of Achilles Tendonitis
How do you know you are suffering from Achilles Tendonitis?
The first indication of Achilles Tendonitis is the sudden and severe pain at the back of calf or ankle. This happens when you are in the midst of the vigorous exercise. Some people describe it graphically as a gun-shot pain, with loud pop or snap.
The initial sharp pain will subside, followed by mild pain, swelling, stiffness, bruising and a noticeable sense of sluggishness.
The pain and stiffness may subside considerably when the tendon warms up with walking. However, the sharp pain returns when you try to sprint or stand on tiptoe. Without the support of Achilles tendon, standing on tiptoe is almost impossible.
You may experience swelling at the heel or calf.
Diagnosis of Achilles Tendonitis
It is more common to see a complete tear of Achilles tendon, rather than a partial tear.
You will need to make appointment with orthopedic specialist for diagnosing Achilles Tendonitis and ruling out other condition.
Treatment of Achilles Tendonitis
The treatments of Achilles Tendonitis vary, depending on the severity of the condition.
In the severe case, surgical treatment is necessary to remove the fibrous tissue and to repair the tear in the Achilles tendon. Recovery is often very slow. The patient needs to go for a rehabilitation program as well.
Most Achilles Tendonitis do not involve surgery.
For slight injury, it is enough to take a complete rest from running or exercising for a few weeks. Swimming is an exercise allowed because it does not stress the Achilles tendon.
For more severe cases, medication to reduce pain and inflammation is prescribed. The specialists may use
devices to support the muscles 
and relieve stress on the Achilles tendon. It is a good idea to use
heel pad 
and shoe insert. You can also request for a bandage to restrict movement of the Achilles tendon.
Since you are not able to do vigorous exercise, you may want to try appropriate exercise to strengthen the weak muscle groups. Stretching and other exercises are able to aid in the healing of Achilles Tendonitis.
Prevention of Achilles Tendonitis
You can reduce the risk of Achilles Tendonitis by taking the preventive measures below.
The first preventive measure for Achilles Tendonitis is to choose your
running shoes
carefully. The running shoes should provide enough cushion for the heel strike.
The second preventive measure for Achilles Tendonitis is to do warm up before running. You can spend a few minutes to do stretching and other warming up exercises. You can walk for a few minutes before you start to run.
The third preventive measure for Achilles Tendonitis is to do exercises to strengthen the calf muscles.
The fourth preventive measure for Achilles Tendonitis is to increase your running speed gradually. This holds for running distance as well. You should not double the running speed within a week. That is disastrous for the muscles in the legs. You can increase the speed and the running distance by ten percent every week.
The fifth preventive measure for Achilles Tendonitis is to avoid sudden stress on the heel. A sudden sprint can trigger the tear in the tendon. The same goes for stair climbing and hill running. If you want to engage in stair climbing and hill running, please start off slowly.
The last preventive measure for Achilles Tendonitis is to cool down after a bout of exercising.
It is better to be safe than sorry, especially when your legs are concerned. While Achilles Tendonitis may not seem such a serious condition, it is painful and takes extremely long time to heal.