Achilles tendinitis refers to inflammation of the Achilles tendon. Generally, it is caused by excessive stress on the gastrocnemius and Achilles tendons of the calf during exercise, such as playing basketball. In addition, a sudden increase in the intensity or frequency of exercise can often cause Achilles tendonitis. Recovery time from Achilles tendonitis is generally short if it is addressed and treated promptly. But if left untreated, Achilles tendinitis can cause ongoing pain or lead to a rupture of the Achilles tendon. If this occurs, surgical treatment may be needed to repair the damage.

Symptoms: The Achilles tendon does not have a true tendon sheath, but is surrounded by peritendinous tissue (fatty gap tissue to separate the tendon and tendon sheath). The early pain of Achilles tendonitis is mainly due to peritendinous tissue. Caused by tissue damage. When the patient gets up or walks continuously, the tendon activity in the peritendinous tissue increases, so the pain worsens. The pain also worsens during training, and there is tenderness when pressing the Achilles tendon with fingers.

Typical symptoms:

1. Pain, soreness, tenderness, and stiffness above and inside the heel, which worsens after activity. It can occur in any area of ??the Achilles tendon, and pain usually occurs early in the morning or during rest after strenuous exercise.

2. There will be strong pain or tenderness when the two sections of the tendon are squeezed.

3. When the lesion worsens, the tendon will swell and nodules will appear in the lesion area.

Injury mechanism The Achilles tendon is a large tendon located behind the ankle joint. It connects the muscle group behind the calf to the calcaneus. It is an indispensable tool for human walking, running, climbing and other sports. Overuse due to various reasons can lead to chronic damage to the fibers in the Achilles tendon, such as overloading exercise, frequent running on hard surfaces such as roads, mountain climbing, etc., which can all cause Achilles tendonitis, which occurs in about 11% of patients. Achilles tendinitis occurs due to sports injuries such as running. The Achilles tendon often heals slowly due to insufficient blood supply.

Symptoms:

Acute stage of Achilles tendonitis

1. Pain in the Achilles tendon during walking, running and other exercises

2. Swelling of the Achilles tendon

3. The skin at the Achilles tendon becomes red and hot

Chronic phase

1. Achilles tendon pain or stiffness mostly occurs in the early morning

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2. You will feel Achilles tendon pain when walking, especially when climbing mountains and stairs

3. How long-term and persistent is chronic Achilles tendonitis? Causes and mechanisms of Achilles tendonitis: The Achilles tendon is connected to the gastrocnemius muscle of the calf. A band of tissue related to the calcaneus that people need when walking, running, jumping and tiptoeing. When the Achilles tendon is put under too much stress in a short period of time, microscopic tears can occur, which can lead to inflammation.

In addition, some other reasons may also cause Achilles tendonitis, including:

1. The body is not active or has not been adjusted well. If the physical condition is uncomfortable (such as the flexibility of the gastrocnemius muscle) Insufficient sex and intensity), starting sports without activity or before adjusting, especially sports such as basketball and tennis that require frequent stops, starts and jumps, Achilles tendinitis is prone to occur.

2. Exercise too much and too frequently. If you just start a new exercise plan, you must do stretching exercises before and after exercise. When you start the activity, do it slowly and gradually increase the amount of exercise. Don’t pursue it too much. schedule. If you do running exercises, too much uphill running is more likely to cause Achilles tendonitis.

3. Flat feet Flat arches increase the risk of Achilles tendonitis because flat feet cause extra stress on the Achilles tendon when walking. If you have flat feet, it is best to wear shoes with support in the arch to avoid further aggravation of the Achilles tendon.

4. Trauma or infection In some cases, inflammation of the Achilles tendon occurs because of trauma or infection near the Achilles tendon.

Clinical Diagnosis of Achilles Tendonitis To diagnose Achilles tendonitis, your doctor will need to examine the foot and may take an X-ray of the Achilles tendon to rule out other conditions that may be causing pain in the Achilles tendon. In addition, the doctor may also ask about relevant activities. If your doctor suspects that the Achilles tendon has been ruptured, he may order an MRI scan, a painless test that uses magnetic fields to show images of the body's soft tissues.

Treatment In general, Achilles tendonitis will improve after a period of self-care (such as rest, ice, and over-the-counter analgesics, etc.). If there is no effect, the doctor may recommend other treatments, including:

1. Use a support pad. The support pad can elevate the ankle to reduce the stretch on the Achilles tendon. The doctor may also prescribe a splint to be used during sleep at night to keep the Achilles tendon in place.

2. Wear a walking boot or use crutches. If the condition is severe, your doctor may recommend wearing a walking boot or using crutches to help the Achilles tendon heal.

3. Surgical and non-surgical treatment (including physical therapy) can often make Achilles tendinitis heal and repair itself within a few weeks. If these treatments don't work, surgery may be needed to remove the inflammatory tissue around the Achilles tendon. However, this is often a last resort.

For external use, anti-inflammatory and analgesic drugs should be used

1. Athletes should stop running and raise their heels to reduce the tension of the Achilles tendon. As long as it does not cause pain, the elasticity of the N-hamstring muscles should be strengthened. For practice, wear soft-soled shoes to ensure flexion of the first metatarsophalangeal joint, but the heel should be hard. If there is no pain in the Achilles tendon, you can do toe raising exercises to increase the strength of the Achilles tendon.

Running up and down hills quickly should be avoided until the Achilles tendon has healed.

2. Apply cold compress.

3. Use orthopedic devices or change exercise methods as needed.

4. Physical therapy is the key. The key is to stretch the gastrocnemius with the knee straight and the soleus with the knee slightly bent. Strength training, ultrasound therapy and electrical stimulation therapy can also be used in physical therapy. Anti-inflammatory medications can speed healing. Orthopedic localization with a heel lift can sometimes help relax the Achilles tendon. A night splint that holds the ankle in its natural position (90 degrees) can help prevent tightness in your calf muscles. In some severe cases, you may need the help of some equipment to reduce the tension on the Achilles tendon while walking.

5. Local sealing can relieve pain, but it needs to be supplemented by other treatments to avoid Achilles tendon rupture caused by repeated sealing. After diagnosis, active treatment can be carried out through local drug injection. Such as triamcinolone acetonide injection, etc.

6. Individualized rehabilitation plan.

7. If you pay attention to treating this injury early, you will have a better prognosis. When early injuries are ignored, it can become very difficult to treat chronic Achilles tendonitis.

Disease Prevention Although it is impossible to completely prevent the occurrence of Achilles tendonitis, you can take some measures to reduce its risk:

Exercise should be gradual and gradually increase the activity. Quantity and intensity. Avoid exercises that put too much stress on the Achilles tendon, especially if they are not done for too long. If you feel pain while performing an activity, you should stop immediately and rest. Shoes worn during exercise should fit well, provide adequate cushioning for the ankle, and should have strong arch support to help reduce stress on the Achilles tendon.

Perform stretching exercises every day, especially in the morning, before and after exercise, to stretch the gastrocnemius and Achilles tendon to keep the Achilles tendon strong. This is especially important to avoid recurrence of Achilles tendonitis. Doing some exercises that can strengthen the gastrocnemius, such as "tiptoe exercise", that is, rising on tiptoes and then lowering slowly, can strengthen the Achilles tendon muscle to bear greater loads.

1. Before exercising, do warm-up and stretching exercises. If the muscles and bones are active and the calf muscles are too tight or too tired, the impact force generated by the exercise will be transmitted to the Achilles tendon, which may cause Achilles tendonitis.

2. Enhance strength: Heavy-load calf exercises can make the Achilles tendon bear greater force.

Body strengthening: Plyometric exercises improve the movement of the muscles, tendons and ligaments in the lower legs and ankles.

Stretching exercises: Calf stretching exercises can improve tendon flexibility.

Balance ability: Do some exercises to improve your body's balance ability and exercise your body's ability to feel.

3. Choose suitable shoes. If the shoes are too large, people will often bend their toes to dig at the soles. This action will overuse the plantar fascia and related tissues, leading to local tendon strain and Achilles tendonitis.

4. If the running distance increases too quickly and excessive training occurs, it will bring greater impact to the Achilles tendon. When doing physical exercise, you must do it step by step and slowly increase the amount.

5. The walking and running surface is too hard, the running shoes are too hard, etc., which may cause Achilles tendon inflammation. Adding padding to the heel of your shoe can help relieve tension on your Achilles tendon.