Your Achilles tendon is the largest tendon in your body that connects from your heel to your calf muscle. A lot of people do not realize how important this tendon is for walking, running, or merely just standing until they suffer an injury to the tendon that can cause considerable pain, discomfort, and immobility.
Repetitive exercises such as running, basketball, and tennis often cause aggravation to the tendon, creating a condition called Achilles tendonitis. When the intensity of a particular activity is suddenly ramped up, the shock can cause the Achilles tendon to tear or even break completely, causing a loud, cringe-worthy, popping sound.
4 initial treatments for Achilles tendonitis or other tendon and ligament injuries include the following:
RICE—Basic injury care involves Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation.
Strength and flexibility exercises—There are many exercises to limber up and strengthen your calf muscles and tendons to avoid these types of injuries.
Custom orthotic shoe inserts and corrective shoes—Your podiatrist has a variety of excellent shoes, inserts, and braces that are very effective for a wide variety of problems.
Switch to a lower impact activity—You can immediately decrease the stress on the affected foot by switching to a low-impact activity such as swimming to help give your Achilles tendon a rest.
Never neglect the initial pain of a tendon injury or any other injury for that matter. If you push too hard through the injury, you often just make it worse and increase the healing time. Be sure to give your body some time to heal at the first sign of injury to avoid this fate.
If you are experiencing the symptoms of Achilles tendonitis, consult with our board-certified podiatrists at Foot and Ankle Center of Fort Lee, LLC. The center offers convenient locations in Fort Lee NJ, Ringwood NJ, Flushing Queens NY, Woodhaven NY, Brooklyn NY, and Forest Hills NY. Contact us at (201) 363-9844and schedule an appointment today!
