I Have Achilles Tendinitis and Playing Tennis Makes My Achilles Swell

Your Achilles may swell while playing tennis because repeated running, push-offs, and quick changes of direction put continued stress on an already irritated Achilles tendon.

If you have Achilles tendinitis, you may notice the area around your Achilles becoming visibly fuller or puffy after you have been moving around the court for a while. The Achilles tendon connects your calf muscles to your heel and works repeatedly during running and push-off, so tennis can place a lot of demand on an already painful tendon.

When the tendon is irritated, repeated activity can increase the body's local response around the area and make swelling more noticeable. The combination of running, stopping, reaching for shots, and changing direction gives the Achilles very little opportunity to stop working during a tennis session.

Repeated Push-Offs Keep Aggravating Your Achilles

Every quick push away from the court asks your Achilles tendon to work again.

When you move quickly toward a ball or push off to change direction, your calf muscles pull through the Achilles tendon to help move your body. If the tendon is already affected by tendinitis, repeating those movements can aggravate the area and contribute to more swelling as you continue playing.

The Swelling Becomes More Noticeable As You Keep Playing

More court movement can make the swelling increase as the session continues.

Running, stopping, and changing direction over and over can gradually fatigue the calf and place continued demand on the Achilles. As the session goes on, you may notice the area looking more swollen or feeling fuller than it did when you first stepped onto the court, particularly after a longer practice or match.

Why Your Achilles Keeps Swelling During Tennis

Your Achilles has a hard time healing when blood flow and circulation are limited.

Tendons, ligaments, and other soft tissues naturally receive less blood supply than many other parts of the body. Because of this, they often take longer to heal after repeated stress or injury, leaving you more vulnerable to lingering pain and a cycle of reinjury.

When circulation through the area remains limited, injured tissues have a harder time receiving the vital oxygen and nutrients they need to repair and heal. This can leave your Achilles feeling stiff, tight, weak, or painful during everyday movement and activity.

What Can Help Your Achilles Feel Better

Your Achilles starts feeling better when blood flow and circulation improve.

Chinese herbs have been used for centuries to promote healthy blood flow and circulation. Their medicinal properties help break up stagnant blood and fluids that remain trapped around injured tissues, interfering with circulation. As circulation improves, blood flows more freely through the area, allowing those tissues to receive the oxygen and nutrients they need to heal properly.

Topical herbal remedies made with these Chinese herbs can help relieve pain while improving blood flow and circulation to injured tissues. The right product depends on your symptoms and whether you're in the acute or chronic stage of recovery.

If you have pain, swelling, inflammation, or bruising, Acute Sinew Liniment helps relieve these symptoms by increasing circulation and dispersing stagnant blood and fluids around the injured area to speed recovery. During the acute stage of healing, getting circulation moving early allows injured tissues to receive the fresh blood, oxygen, and nutrients they need to repair and heal.

If your injured area is especially swollen, red, or warm to the touch after a recent injury or flare-up, Sinew Herbal Ice is also used to reduce swelling and inflammation while restoring normal circulation so you can quickly regain range of motion. While traditional ice is commonly used to reduce swelling, Sinew Herbal Ice acts as an ice alternative to reduce swelling and inflammation while also dispersing accumulated blood and fluids to speed the healing process.

If you no longer have swelling or inflammation, but still have pain, stiffness, weakness, or sensitivity in cold and damp weather, Chronic Sinew Liniment helps relieve these symptoms by strongly stimulating circulation and increasing blood supply to injured tendons and ligaments to promote their healing. This is especially important because tendons and ligaments naturally receive less blood supply, which is why chronic injuries can take longer to heal.

If you have residual pain and stiffness, or the area becomes more painful in cold weather, Sinew Injury Poultice is also used to significantly stimulate circulation to injured tendons and ligaments to further promote their healing. By strongly increasing circulation, it counteracts the reduced blood flow caused by cold weather that commonly aggravates chronic tendon and ligament injuries.

If you exercise, play sports, or do other strenuous activities, Sinew Sports Massage Oil warms and stimulates muscles for exertion and relieves muscle tightness and soreness after activity. Warming and preparing your muscles before activity can improve flexibility, enhance performance, and reduce the risk of injury.

Frequently Asked Questions

You may also find these commonly asked questions helpful.

Why does my Achilles swell when I play tennis?

Repeated running, push-offs, and changes of direction can aggravate an Achilles tendon affected by tendinitis and make swelling more noticeable during tennis.

Can playing tennis make Achilles tendinitis swelling worse?

Yes. Continued court movement can keep stressing an irritated Achilles tendon, which may increase swelling during or after play.

Why does my Achilles swell more as I keep playing tennis?

As you continue running and pushing off, the tendon remains under repeated demand, so swelling can become more noticeable later in the session.

Why is my Achilles still swollen after tennis?

Your Achilles may remain swollen after tennis because the tendon has been repeatedly stressed during running, stopping, and changing direction.

Should I keep playing tennis if my Achilles is swollen?

If tennis repeatedly increases your Achilles swelling or pain, reducing the activity and having persistent symptoms evaluated can help prevent the problem from worsening.

The information provided here is intended to help you better understand your symptoms and recovery, but it is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Persistent, severe, or worsening symptoms should be evaluated by a qualified healthcare professional.