Physiotherapist update: February 2020 Rina van der Merwe, Physiotherapist - Feb 2020 ACHILLES TENDININOPATHY Definition: Achilles Tendinitis is an acute or sudden onset of pain of the tendon that connects your calf muscles to your heel bone. It is called Achilles Tendinosis when it becomes a chronic problem with microtears in the tissue in and around the tendon. The Achilles tendon is the largest tendon in the body. It works very hard when you walk, run, do stairs and jump. Causes: Repetitive stress to the tendon by: Sudden increase in distance: Sudden increase in the intensity Change of running surface (road vs trail vs grass vs treadmill) Hill running or speedwork (too much or too fast) Shoes (quality and / or ill-fitting eg. back of shoe digging into tendon) Overpronation of the foot (biomechanics) Tight calf muscles (puts extra stress on the Achilles tendon) Weak core/hip stabilisers/hamstrings/calfs Symptoms: Morning pain and stiffness of tendon Severe pain after exercising Thickening and or swelling of the tendon Treatment option…
