Achilles Tendinitis - Prevention and Treatment #16362

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Achilles Tendinitis - Prevention and Treatment is an essential injury prevention guide for all athletes. Learn the latest research into avoiding and treating this most common of sports injuries.

Achilles tendinitis is a painful and debilitating injury with sometimes serious consequences. It can become so severe that many athletes undertake surgery to correct the condition.

There are, however, some common misconceptions about the condition.

A new book, Achilles Tendinitis – Prevention and Treatment explains the causes of injury, how to avoid it and gives exercises to get an injured ankle fully functional once more.

Chapter by chapter, here is what you'll find in Achilles Tendinitis - Prevention and Treatment:

PREVENTION PROGRAMME: We look at the causes of Achilles tendinitis, and outline an exercise strategy that will make your Achilles as strong as spun steel

TECHNICALLY SPEAKING: Here’s a further look at Achilles tendinitis, this time from a surgeon’s point of view

STRENGTHENING PROGRAMME: Achilles tendinitis is the curse of the running classes. If you suffer from it, these exercises should help prevent it happening again

ANKLE STRENGTHENING: Weak ankles are a key factor in causing Achilles tendinitis. Here’s a guide to making them strong and proof against sprains as well

ABOVE THE ANKLE: Here’s how to get an injured knee fully functional once more

WHAT THE PAPERS SAY: Having a short Achilles tendon may be an athlete’s Achilles heel

The exercises contained in Achilles Tendinitis – Prevention and Treatment work on the injured ankle in order to:

1. Strengthen muscles involved in the injury to be just as strong as the unaffected side

2. Regain full proprioception (joint position sense)

3. Regain power and co-ordination of all sports specific movements

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Achilles tendinitis – clinical facts

Achilles tendinitis is a loose term used to describe the pain, swelling, and tenderness usually experienced in the area 2cm to 6cm above the insertion of the tendon into the heel bone.

Around two thirds of Achilles tendon injuries in competitive athletes are incidents of inflammation. When the term ‘tendinitis’ is used in a clinical context, however, it refers to tendon degeneration without associated inflammation. This may lead athletes and their coaches to underestimate the chronic nature of the condition. Although surgery is sometimes used to correct this injury, Achilles Tendinitis – Prevention and Treatment raises important questions about the effectiveness of surgical procedure.

Assessing risk: the likelihood of injury increases with the number of years of running, the training pace and the weekly mileage. Achilles tendinitis is an overuse injury. The longer you have been running, the more likely you are to suffer and the condition is most commonly seen in male recreational runners between 35 and 45.

Functional exercises for the Achilles

The key to making a full recovery from any injury is not just corrective treatment and healing, but also re-strengthening and rejoining co-ordination of the joint and all the movements it is involved with.

The exercises given in Achilles Tendinitis – Prevention and Treatment develop specific strength in the ankle muscles that are immediately related to Achilles tendinitis, and also the rest of the leg and the pelvis to promote a good and efficient running style.

The purpose of these functional exercises is to strengthen the leg muscles in a similar manner to the way they work during running and to target the eccentric strength of the gastrocnemius, soleus and anterior tibialis. Exercises given in Achilles Tendinitis – Prevention and Treatment include prevention and strengthening programmes for the leg and ankle:

Ankle to toe walks

Heel walks

Heel drop and calf raise

One-leg knee bends

Dynamic one-leg knee bends

Dynamic ankle jogging

Guidance is given for how many sets and repetitions are required.