Do you suffer with Achilles Tendinopathy? Have you got pain and stiffness in the back of your heel that gets worse with activity? This is an important article that could make a world of difference to you.
“The Achilles tendon is the LARGEST TENDON IN THE BODY connecting the calf muscles to the heel bone and is used in all of our weight bearing activities such as running, walking and jumping”
As the largest ‘spring ligament’ in the body the Achilles tendon is capable of withstanding great stresses involved with running and jumping but can be subject to injury and degeneration leading to the debilitating condition of Achilles Tendinopathy.
Starting with pain, swelling and inflammation, the repetitive traumatizing of the inflamed tendon just from normal walking activities if left untreated can lead to micro-tears and eventual rupturing of the tendon.
When you experience the pain of an inflamed Achilles tendon seeing a podiatrist who is an expert in foot function and deals with this problem on a daily basis, is the essential first step to fixing your Achilles problem and getting you back to having an active pain free lifestyle.
For many people with this debilitating condition, rest, anti-inflammatories and in some cases steroid injections leads to a decrease in pain and so people try to return to their normal activities but then the pain comes straight back often worse than before.
“This then leads to a perpetual cycle of pain and inflammation that is alleviated by inactivity and aggravated by activity.”
Seeking treatment early from a trained podiatrist will limit the amount of chronic tendon damage that can occur and reduce the risk of rupturing the tendon which would then require surgery.
If any of this relates to you then you’ll be glad to learn that here at The Foot Pod Podiatry Clinic in Karrinyup, we have developed The Achilles Action Plan for both Insertional and Non-Insertional Achilles Tendinopathy, that will get you rapid results in the treatment of your Achilles problem and get you back to pain free activity using a combination of both Focus and Radial extracorporeal shockwave therapy and a personalized rehabilitation program.
Listed below is a powerful exercise from The Achilles Action Plan that you can try at home to get immediate pain relief and to help get you started on the road to recovery. This exercise when done correctly will give both pain relief and strengthening.
Isometric Heel Raise – Stand with feet shoulder width apart and place the hands in front of you on a wall at eye level.
Slowly raise both heels up together ensuring the weight of the body rests along the big toe joint and not to the outsides of the foot or the lesser toes.
Hold the stretch for 30-40 seconds
Slowly lower the heels back to the floor in a controlled manner do not allow the heels to slap down
Do the above stretch at least 5 times holding for up to 40 seconds each time.
As part of an Achilles Action Plan this exercise would gradually be personalized and added to so it would become more complex allowing for individual rehabilitation goals to be achieved.
So why suffer with sore feet ? – If you want to fix your Achilles Tendinopathy using the Achilles Action Plan put your feet in the hands of a professional and call us on (08) 92467292 to book an appointment or go to www.thefootpod.com.au and book online.