Achilles Tendinitis Causes and Symptoms

The Achilles tendon is attached to your calf muscles to your calcaneus or heel bone. You make use of this tendon in walking, hopping, running, and standing on your feet. Constant, extraordinary physical activity, for example, jumping and running, can bring about the difficult aggravation of the Achilles tendon, known as Achilles tendonitis (or tendinitis).

Causes of Achilles Tendonitis

Unnecessary exercise or strolling causes Achilles tendonitis, particularly for sports enthusiasts. However, factors that are not connected to exercise may also contribute to your risk. Rheumatoid arthritis and disease are both connected to tendonitis.

Any regular activity that strains the Achilles tendon can bring about tendonitis. A few causes include:

• Straining the calf muscles amid repeated exercise or physical action.
• Exercising without an appropriate warmup.
• Playing games, for example, tennis, which requires snappy stops and alters of course.
• Wearing old or ineffectively fitting shoes.
• Wearing high heels day by day or for delayed lengths.

Symptoms of Achilles tendonitis

The primary symptom of Achilles tendonitis is pain and swelling in the rear of your heel when you walk or run. Others are tight calf muscles and limited scope of movement when you flex your foot. This condition can also make the skin on your heel feel excessively warm to the touch.

Other symptoms include:

• Tight calf muscles.
• Swelling or discomfort in the back of your heel.
• Limited range of movement while flexing the foot.
• Skin on your heel is excessively warm to the touch.

If not treated, the ligament can wind up noticeably torn or burst. In mild cases, treatment may include resting or changing an activity schedule, but more serious cases may require surgery.

Achilles tendinitis can manifest in different ways. Some are less demanding to treat than others, but monitoring them can help prior diagnosis and help prevent actual damage.

Noninsertional Achilles tendinitis is more typical in younger people. The fiber amidst the ligament begins to separate, thicken, and swell.

Insertional Achilles tendinitis is not related to movement. It influences the lower segment of the ligament as it additions into the heel bone.

Differences in the foot, leg or lower leg life systems can also prompt Achilles tendinitis. Level feet or fallen curves can put a strain on the ligament.

Bone spurs are additional bone developments where the ligament joins the bone. These can rub against the Achilles ligament, causing harm and uneasiness.

 

Strengthening Exercises

These Achilles Tendinitis Exercises are ideal to build strength and flexibility.

Massage Treatment

These Achilles Tendinitis Massage Techniques are of great value in pain relief; circulation stimulation; dispersing blood and fluid accumulations; swelling reduction; and relaxing muscle spasms, especially when used alongside the Sinew Therapeutics liniments and soaks.

 

ACUTE STAGE SYMPTOMS AND TREATMENT

 

This stage is characterized by swelling, redness, pain, and possibly a local sensation of heat, indicating inflammation. If coolness makes your pain feel better, then the Acute Stage Treatment is recommended.

 

ACUTE STAGE SYMPTOMS:

 

The acute stage starts the moment an injury occurs and lasts until the swelling and inflammation are gone. The swelling is the result of the blockage of blood, tissue fluids and circulation in the Achilles tendon because their normal movement has been disrupted by the force of the injury. Just like cars back up behind a traffic jam, causing congestion, exhaust and overheating; blood and fluids back up behind the injured Achilles tendon, causing pain, inflammation, lumps and swelling.

The sensation of heat is due to the warming action of the blood and fluids overheating in the injured Achilles tendon as they back up and accumulate. Stiffness and decreased mobility are due to spasms in tendons and ligaments that have contracted reflexively beyond their normal range from the impact of the injury.

As ligaments and tendons stretch and tear, blood from ruptured blood vessels becomes trapped in the local tissues. As the trapped blood clots up, it sticks the tissues together creating adhesions. Adhesions cause pain, inflammation and restricted movement because the layers of tissue that used to slide smoothly across one another now adhere and snap which interferes with normal functioning. It is essential to break up clotted blood as quickly as possible to prevent adhesions and scar tissue from forming.

During the acute stage it is very important to restore normal circulation to the Achilles tendon, break up clotted blood and stagnant fluids, reduce swelling, and reduce the redness and heat associated with inflammation. By restoring the flow of blood, fluids, and circulation in the Achilles tendon, then pain is relieved, damaged tissues can regenerate with healthy functional tissue, and the foot can strengthen and regain it's mobility.

 

ACUTE STAGE TREATMENT:

 

1. Apply the Sinew Herbal Ice on your Achilles tendon to reduce redness, swelling, and inflammation while dispersing accumulated blood and fluids to help restore normal circulation to the Achilles tendon. This first-aid treatment is used in place of ice to significantly speed up the healing process. It reduces the swelling and inflammation more effectively than ice, allowing you to more quickly regain range of motion. Acute Sinew Liniment can be used in-between applications.

Ice is not recommended because it does not help repair damaged tissues and keeps everything in the injured area frozen, causing the stagnation of blood and fluids and the contraction of muscles, tendons and ligaments. In Chinese sports medicine ice is not used and is considered a culprit in injuries that don’t heal well.

2. Massage your Achilles tendon with Acute Sinew Liniment to relieve pain, reduce swelling and inflammation, break up clotted blood and stagnant fluids, and stimulate circulation of blood and fluids to help cells quickly repair damaged tissues. Sinew Herbal Ice can be used in-between applications.

3. The Sinew Sports Massage Oil is recommended for use before and after exercise, sports and strenuous activity. It warms and stimulates your muscles, increases circulation and relieves tightness, hence improving your performance and helping to prevent injury.

 

 

CHRONIC STAGE SYMPTOMS AND TREATMENT

 

This stage begins once the swelling and inflammation are gone, but you still feel pain, stiffness, weakness, and/or sensitivity in cold and damp weather. If heat makes your pain feel better, then the Chronic Stage Treatment is recommended.

CHRONIC STAGE SYMPTOMS:

 

The chronic stage begins once the swelling and inflammation are gone, but you still feel aching pain and stiffness. This is because there are still accumulations of stagnant blood and fluids in your Achilles tendon that are blocking circulation and blood supply to damaged tissues, creating residual pain, stiffness and weakness. You may actually feel hard nodules like sand in the tissue, indicating accumulation, calcification, and adhesions, which all cause pain, stiffness, and joint instability.

Your Achilles tendon may feel more sensitive to the cold and ache in cold and damp weather due to impaired circulation. When you move your foot you may hear a clicking or popping sound from the tendons and ligaments slipping very slightly in and out of their natural alignment indicating weakness and joint instability, causing chronic pain and a cycle of reinjury. These symptoms are often the result of failure to treat the injury properly from the outset and overicing.

Increasing circulation and blood supply to the damaged tissues is very important in treating chronic injuries because tendons and ligaments do not have an extensive direct supply of blood. That is why chronic injuries can be slow to heal. Increasing local circulation also prevents cold and dampness from penetrating the injured area, preventing pain and stiffness.

During the chronic stage it is very important to break up remaining accumulations of blood and fluids, and increase circulation and blood supply to the damaged tissues. By increasing circulation and blood flow in the Achilles tendon, then pain and stiffness is relieved, and the tendons and ligaments can strengthen to restore stability.

CHRONIC STAGE TREATMENT:

 

1. Massage your Achilles tendon with Chronic Sinew Liniment to relieve pain and stiffness, strongly stimulate circulation and blood flow to damaged tissues, and promote the healing of overstretched tendons and ligaments. The Sinew Relaxing Soak can be used in-between applications.

2. Soak your foot with the Sinew Relaxing Soak to relax muscles and tendons that are in spasm, ease joint pain and stiffness, and improve range of motion. The Sinew Relaxing Soak is particularly useful if you feel restricted mobility in your Achilles tendon. Chronic Sinew Liniment can be used in-between applications.

3. The Sinew Sports Massage Oil is recommended for use before and after exercise, sports and strenuous activity. It warms and stimulates your muscles, increases circulation and relieves tightness, hence improving your performance and helping to prevent injury.