Achilles tendon
Without our Achilles tendon, we wouldn’t be able to jump over puddles, run to greet loved ones at the airport, or stand on our tip-toes to peer over the top of someone’s head at a concert. It ensures we can bend our knees, flex our ankles and point our toes. It’s the thickest and strongest tendon in the body, vital to basic movement.
But though it’s big and strong, due to a limited blood flow and ongoing strain, it can be fragile too. When this tendon becomes strained, our osteopaths re-establish strength by working with the supportive structures to encourage sustained and comprehensive healing.
Damage to your Achilles tendon may be evident in the form of pain, swelling or stiffness following an injury. Another key sign of trauma is the inability to stand on tiptoes.
If you tear your Achilles tendon it may make a loud popping noise, cause crippling pain, or feel as though you’ve been kicked in the calf.
Having flat arches, tight tendons or tight leg muscles may increase your risk of pulling or tearing your Achilles tendon. Weakness or stiffness in the knees, ankles and feet can put you at further risk of injury.
Regularly wearing high heels may also cause stress to your tendon.
Even certain medications (specifically glucocorticoids, statins or certain antibiotics called fluoroquinolones) can make tearing your Achilles more likely.
Our osteopaths won’t solely look at your Achilles tendon. They will carefully examine and strengthen the supportive structures of your foot in order to restore and improve upon your full range of mobility.
They will assess all the articulations of the ankle, foot and plantar fascia. In order to ease pressure on the achilles tendon, our osteopaths will gently stretch the ankle joint to improve its strength and flexibility. They will pay particular attention to any weak spots and improve strength in the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles. This encourages healing and improves your resilience to injury.
If you require surgery to repair your tendon, our osteopaths can empower you with physical therapy and at-home exercises to help restore your mobility.
Acupuncturists can also help by reducing stiffness and pain, while increasing your range of movement.
Your full recovery is important to us. For comprehensive healing and a reduced risk of re-injury, come to IMI.
What’s next?
If you have a damaged Achilles tendon, we can help.
Bring your body back into balance with our osteopaths and chiropractors. Connect with us below, and we'll be in touch shortly.