Helpful Tips For Preventing Injury to Your Achilles Tendon

Lower body pain is a common reality for a wide variety of people, from athletes, to people who work at home, and many problems stem from foot and ankle injuries. According to a survey from the American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA), 77% have experienced foot pain, but only a third of the people in the survey would seek specialist care. Foot and ankle injuries are very common, with half of adults saying that the pain hinders their ability to do basic activities in some way.

When it comes to ankle problems in particular, there are several things that can cause pain, but Achilles tendon injuries are fairly common. This pain can be avoided. Let’s look at what you can do to reduce the pain by examining the function of your achilles tendon, what conditions affect it, and how you can prevent those conditions.

If you live in the Fort Worth, Texas, area and you’re looking for relief from Achilles tendon injuries, Drs. Glen Beede, Gary Driver, Gregory Jaryga, and the skilled team at Trinity Foot & Ankle Specialists can help.

The function of your achilles tendon

This musculoskeletal tissue joins your calf muscles from your lower leg to your heel bone, and is both the biggest and strongest tendon in your body. Also referred to as the calcaneal tendon, it helps lift your heel up from the ground when you perform tasks like climbing stairs, jumping, running, walking, and standing on your tiptoes. There are several parts to this tendon, including your noninsertional Achilles tendon, midtendon, pre insertional Achilles tendon, and insertional Achilles tendon, which attach at different parts of the back of your foot.

Conditions that affect it

Several foot injuring conditions affect this tendon, such as:

• Anterior Achilles tendon bursitis: commonly caused by wearing high heeled shoes, walking in them can inflame the heel of your foot
• Achilles paratenonitis: an overuse or repetition injury that inflame the paratenon which surrounds your Achilles tendon
• Achilles tendinitis (tendonitis): overuse from sports, running or other physical activities causes pain and swelling in your tendon
• Achilles tendinosis: degeneration of the tendon due to age or overuse, which can cause scarring that thickens the tissue
• Achilles tendon rupture: a complete or partial tear in your tendon due to running, jumping or quick speed changes

Methods of prevention

Here are some tips for avoiding injury to this important tendon:

Warm up before activities

This is generally good advice for many physical actions, but getting warmed up and ready for activity helps to reduce the chances of injury.

Use proper footwear

Wearing appropriate and well fitting shoes keeps your feet in good shape while you’re doing everything on your feet. Ill fitting shoes force your feet to do more work, and increase the risk of foot problems.

Use even surfaces to exercise on

Uneven surfaces may seem like a fun challenge, but they can compromise your footing and lead to rolling your ankle and other injuries that affect your Achilles tendon.

Stop when you feel pain

If your feet start hurting, stop using them. Whether you’re walking, running, and jumping, the moment you start experiencing foot pain, let the foot rest before doing anything else.

There are plenty of other ways to keep feet healthy, and several treatments that can be used to relieve problems with Achilles tendon injuries. But this should allow you to make better basic choices about how to protect your feet. If you have problems with the Achilles tendon, make an appointment with Drs. Beede. Driver, Jaryga, and Trinity Foot & Ankle Specialists today to get treatment.