Inflammation and pain of the Achilles tendon is quite common, especially in athletes, because they get a huge load on the muscles. It is the strongest and strongest tendon in the body.
It connects the calf muscles to the heel bone. It allows a person to walk, since all the stress with physical effort falls on him.
If such a tendon hurts, it means that inflammatory processes have begun in it, which are very dangerous. If the inflammation nevertheless begins, then due to poor blood supply, it will take a very long time to recover.
What can the Achilles tendon hurt?
Painful sensations do not arise from anywhere, there is always a specific cause of pain. Despite the fact that this tendon is the strongest, it also undergoes tremendous stress, which causes the disease.
Symptoms
Symptoms of this tendon disease are:
- acute pain in the tendon area;
- painful sensations during palpation;
- a feeling of tension in the calf muscle;
- compaction and increase in size;
- during the ascent there is a feeling of stiffness;
- during palpation, when the muscles contract, there is a sensation of crepitus.
The reasons
Pain can occur for a variety of reasons:
- the onset of the inflammatory process;
- stretching;
- tendinosis;
- wearing uncomfortable shoes that cannot stabilize the foot while walking;
- The presence of such pathologies as flat feet;
- Tendon rupture;
- more load than the tendon can withstand;
- development of degenerative dystrophic changes;
- decreased elasticity;
- metabolic disease.
Inflammation of the tendon
The inflammatory process can very often be observed in those people who perform a lot of physical activity on their legs. These are mainly the military, firefighters, people in the army. In the case of a super-strong load, an inflammatory process begins in the tissues. As a result, pain occurs while walking or running. If treatment is not started on time, a partial or complete rupture of the tendon may occur.
Very often, this disease occurs with strong loads on the muscles of the calf, which lead to chronic or temporary tension and contraction. As a result, the tendon does not get proper rest, and if you make a sharp jerk, then this will cause inflammation.
This disease manifests itself in the form of pain near the heel or in the calf muscles. The pain is especially acute after a long rest, when a person rises sharply to his feet and takes a step.
It will take a long time to remove the inflammatory process, for this you need to completely change your lifestyle, and not burden the body.
Tendinosis
Tendinosis is a degenerative process that causes inflammation or tissue damage. Very often, this disease can be observed in people over 40 years old due to a decrease in the elasticity of the connective tissue. Also, very often athletes suffer from it.
There are several forms of this disease:
- Peritendinitis manifests itself as inflammation of the surrounding tissue near the tendon.
- Enthesopathy is characterized by the onset of inflammation and damage where it attaches to the heel.
- Tendinitis occurs as a simple lesion, but the surrounding tissue remains healthy.
Partial or complete tendon rupture
Frequent and vigorous physical activity on the legs can cause injury. In most cases, the cause of traumatic injury to the Achilles area is a strong contraction of the triceps muscle. This happens during active sports, when there is practically no rest.
A gap can occur if a person makes a bad jump and lands on their fingertips. In this case, the weight of the body acts as a damaging force.
Partial or complete rupture can lead to the development of degenerative changes or inflammation. Such damage can lead to chronic pain and significantly reduce quality of life.
Sometimes, the force that acts around the axis of the tendon is incredibly strong, and this causes the Achilles tendon to rupture completely. Quite often, such damage can be observed in men over 35, especially in those who like to play football, tennis, volleyball. A rupture can happen under heavy loads when the muscles are not developed.
Causes of pain due to exercise stress
A very large part of the main cause of pain is poor warm-up before strenuous exercise. After all, if the muscles are not warmed up, then they will not be able to stretch normally. And due to sudden movements, the Achilles tendon can be damaged.
Constant loads of the calf muscles lead to chronic tension, and as a result, the muscle is shortened. This is a rather dangerous factor, since it is constantly energized and does not rest. And when physical exercise is performed regularly without interruption, then this leads to many problems and constant pain.
Preventing Achilles Tendon Injuries
Here are some tips to help protect you from injury:
- As soon as even a slight pain appeared, then it is worthwhile to give up any physical exercises for a while: running, jumping, football.
- Choose and wear only the right and comfortable shoes. If the sole for sports activities is flexible, it will prevent many problems associated with possible stretching.
- As soon as there is a feeling of discomfort or slight pain in the heel area, you should immediately seek help from a specialist.
- Performing regular exercises to stretch the muscles and the Achilles area also helps. But, before starting work, you should seek the advice of a physiotherapist.
- If it is not possible immediately after the onset of pain to seek help from a doctor, then a cold compress should be applied to the leg, and it should be kept slightly raised.
- A good way to protect yourself is to rewind the leg tightly with an elastic bandage before training. Also, if you feel pain, you can also use a bandage that will securely fix your legs and will not allow you to strain this part.
Flexibility exercises in the lower legs are a good way to prevent injury to the Achilles tendon. After all, it is bad stretching that in most cases is the cause of pain and injury.
A few simple exercises to do before each workout to avoid many problems:
- Lunges with or without dumbbells Is a great way to stretch your muscles. Perform lunges with one leg forward, the other, at this time, is behind in a bent position. The body descends slowly and as low as possible. In a jump, change legs very quickly. Perform every day 10-15 times.
- Tiptoe exercise. It is performed with dumbbells, which must be taken in hands, extended along the body. Stand on tiptoe and walk for a few minutes. Rest a little and repeat the exercise. While walking, you need to monitor the position of the body, it should not bend, you need to stretch out as much as possible and straighten your shoulders.
Treatment
Some of the effective treatments are:
- dynamic rest;
- cold;
- stretching;
- strengthening.
Dynamic rest
With such injuries, regular swimming in the pool has a very good healing effect. If this is not possible, then it is possible, in the absence of pain, to ride a bicycle. Start with a few minutes, and gradually increase the time of the session. Running is strictly prohibited - it can aggravate the situation.
Cold
Cold compresses should be applied to the injured area. You can apply ice several times a day for 10-15 minutes. This procedure will help remove inflammation and relieve swelling.
Stretching
Performing a classic stretch against a wall, which athletes constantly do before running. Only in case of pain, stretching should not be performed.
Strengthening
Heavy and abrupt stress is a common cause of injury, so you should strengthen your muscles to prevent injury. Exercise with raising and lowering the heels helps a lot; to complete it, you need to stand on a ladder. Also, squats, jerks or lunges strengthen muscles well. Only you need to do it in moderation so as not to damage the lower legs.
Pain in the area of the Achilles tendon occurs mainly due to damage or heavy stress. Also, pain can indicate the presence of more serious problems, such as rupture or tendonitis.
To protect and prevent injury, you need to increase the load gradually, and also warm up the muscles well before performing any physical activity.
