Achilles tendonitis is an inflammation of the Achilles tendon. It is generally caused by too much stress on the calf gastrocnemius and Achilles tendon during exercise, such as playing basketball. In addition, a sudden increase in the intensity or frequency of exercise often causes Achilles tendonitis. If treated promptly, the recovery time for Achilles tendonitis is usually very short. However, if left untreated, Achilles tendonitis may cause persistent pain or trigger a rupture of the Achilles tendon. If this occurs, surgical treatment may be required to repair the damage.
Symptoms The Achilles tendon does not really have a tendon sheath, but is surrounded by peritendinous tissue (fatty interstitial tissue to separate the tendon from the tendon sheath). Painful Achilles tendonitis in the early stages of Achilles tendonitis is primarily due to damage to the peritendinous tissue. When the patient gets up or walks continuously, the tendon’s activity in the peritendinous tissue increases, so the pain increases, and the pain also increases during training, and there is pressure pain when pressing the Achilles tendon with a finger.
Typical symptoms.
1. Pain, soreness, pressure, and stiffness over and within the heel, which increases with activity. It may occur in any area of the Achilles tendon and the pain usually flares up in the early morning or during rest after strenuous exercise.
2.There is strong pain or pressure when the two segments of the tendon are squeezed.
3. When the lesion worsens, the tendon will swell and nodules will appear in the area of the lesion.
Mechanism of injury The Achilles tendon is a large tendon located at the back of the ankle joint, which connects the muscle group at the back of the lower leg to the heel bone and is an indispensable tool for human walking, running, climbing and other sports. Overuse for various reasons can lead to chronic damage to the fibers in the Achilles tendon, such as overload sports, frequent running on hard surfaces such as roads, climbing, etc., can cause Achilles tendonitis, which occurs in about 11% of patients due to sports injuries such as running. The Achilles tendon is often slow to heal due to inadequate blood supply.
Symptoms.
Acute phase of Achilles tendonitis
1, pain in the Achilles tendon when walking, running and other sports
2, swelling of the Achilles tendon
3, redness and burning of the skin at the Achilles tendon
Chronic phase
1.Achilles tendon pain or stiffness mostly in the early morning
2.Walking, especially climbing and going upstairs will feel pain in the Achilles tendon
3, chronic Achilles tendonitis is more long-term and persistent etiology mechanism Achilles tendonitis etiology Achilles tendon is the band that connects the calf gastrocnemius muscle to the heel bone, which is needed when people walk, run, jump and stand on their feet. When the Achilles tendon is subjected to too much pressure in a short period of time, tiny tears may occur and inflammation may then develop.
In addition, a number of other causes can lead to Achilles tendonitis, they include.
1, the body is not active or not yet adjusted if the physical condition is not good (such as the gastrocnemius muscle flexibility and strength is not enough), not active or not yet adjusted to start sports, especially such as basketball, tennis and other sports that require frequent stops, starts and jumps, it is easy to occur Achilles tendonitis.
2, exercise too much, too often if you just start a new exercise program, before and after the exercise must be stretching; start the activity slowly, gradually increase the amount of exercise, and do not pursue too much progress. If the running exercise, too much uphill running is more likely to lead to Achilles tendonitis.
3, flat feet flat arch will increase the risk of Achilles tendonitis, because when walking, flat feet will lead to additional pressure on the Achilles tendon. If you have flat feet, it is best to wear shoes with support at the arch to avoid further deterioration 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 In order to diagnose Achilles tendonitis, the doctor will need to examine the foot and may need to perform an x-ray of the Achilles tendon area to rule out other conditions that may be causing pain at the Achilles tendon. In addition, the doctor may ask about the activity in question. If the doctor suspects that the Achilles tendon has ruptured, he may perform a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan, which is a painless test that uses a magnetic field to show images of the soft tissues of the body.
Treatment In general, Achilles tendonitis will improve after a period of self-care (e.g., rest, ice, over-the-counter analgesics, etc.). If nothing works, your doctor may recommend other treatments, including.
1. using a support pad, which elevates the ankle to reduce stretching of the Achilles tendon. The doctor may also allow the use of a splint at night while sleeping to keep the Achilles tendon in place.
2. wearing a walking boot or using crutches If the condition is severe, your doctor may recommend wearing a walking boot or using crutches to help the Achilles tendon heal.
3. SurgeryNon-surgical treatments (including physical therapy) often allow Achilles tendonitis to heal and repair itself within a few weeks. If these treatments are not effective, surgery may be needed to remove the inflamed tissue around the Achilles tendon. However, this is often a last resort.
Topical medications are chosen for their anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving topical measures
1, athletes should stop running, high heel padding to reduce Achilles tendon tension, as long as it does not cause pain that should strengthen the N cord muscle flexibility exercises, wear soft-soled shoes to ensure the flexion of the first metatarsophalangeal joint, but the heel should be hard, if the Achilles tendon is not painful, can do toe elevation exercises to increase the muscle strength of the Achilles tendon. Before the Achilles tendon heals, avoid running fast up and down hills.
2.Cold compress.
3.Use orthopedic devices or change the movement as needed.
4. Physical therapy is the key. The most critical method is to allow the gastrocnemius muscle to extend with the knee joint straight and the flounder muscle to extend with the knee joint slightly flexed. Strength strengthening exercises, ultrasound therapy, and electrical stimulation can also be used in physical therapy. Anti-inflammatory medications can accelerate healing. Localized orthopedic treatment with a heel elevator can sometimes help to relax the Achilles tendon. A night splint that holds the ankle in its natural position (90 degrees) can help prevent tightness of the calf muscles. In some severe cases, it may be necessary to walk with the help of some devices to reduce the tension on the Achilles tendon.
5. Local closure can relieve pain and needs to be supplemented with other treatments and to avoid repeated closure causing rupture of the Achilles tendon. After the diagnosis of active treatment, you can see through local drug injection therapy. Such as trimethoprim injection, etc.
6, individualized rehabilitation program.
7, if you pay attention to treat this injury early, will have a better prognosis. And when the early injury is neglected, the treatment that turns into chronic Achilles tendonitis is quite difficult.
Disease Prevention Although it is impossible to completely prevent the occurrence of Achilles tendonitis, there are steps that can be taken to reduce the risk of it.
Exercise gradually, gradually increasing the amount and intensity of activity. Avoid exercises that put too much pressure on the Achilles tendon, especially not 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 to the ankle, and should have a sturdy arch support to help reduce stress on the Achilles tendon.
Stretch the gastrocnemius and Achilles tendons daily, especially in the morning, before and after exercise, to keep the Achilles tendon tough. This is especially important to avoid recurrence of Achilles tendonitis. Perform some exercises that strengthen the gastrocnemius muscle, such as “tiptoeing”, i.e. standing on tiptoe and slowly descending, which can strengthen the Achilles tendon muscles to withstand a greater load.
1, before exercise, do a good warm-up stretching exercises. The tendon activity open, calf muscles are too tight or too fatigue, then the impact of the movement to the Achilles tendon, it may cause Achilles tendonitis.
2, strengthen the strength: heavy load calf exercise can make the Achilles tendon withstand greater force.
Body strengthening: Enhancement-style training can improve the movement level of the muscles, tendons and ligaments at the calf and ankle joints.
Stretching: Calf stretching exercises can improve tendon flexibility.
Balance: Perform some exercises that improve your body’s balance and exercise your body’s ability to feel.
3, pick the right shoes, if the shoes are too big, people tend to bend their toes to gouge the soles, this action will overuse the metatarsal tendon membrane and related tissues, leading to local tendon strain and triggering Achilles tendonitis.
4, running distance increases too fast, training too much, will bring greater impact to the Achilles tendon. When doing physical exercise, be sure to gradually and slowly increase the amount.
5, walking and running site is too hard, running shoes are too hard, etc. may trigger Achilles tendon inflammation. Add a layer of padding inside the heel of the shoe to help slow down the tension in the Achilles tendon.