Achilles tendon pain – a story of Achilles and the smoking elephants

Somebody contacted me for advice about a stubborn Achilles tendon pain.

They reported that there had been various ‘sprains and pulls’ in the past from football, but this Achilles pain was not clearing.

Massage, heel raises, calf stretches and orthotic innersoles had all been tried but had not helped.

I suggested that pain in a tendonitis/tendinopathy is actually a legitimate cry for help. Tissues come under excessive load demand when there is a problem elsewhere. I.e. the muscles that should be propelling you forward when you walk, run, go upstairs etc are all out the back ‘having a smoke’.

Meanwhile poor old Achilles is doing all of the heavy lifting and being pushed beyond current capability and tolerance.

Massage may ‘lengthen’ structures, but will only give short term pain relief as the calf muscles will still remain under excessive load.

Orthotics could ‘shorten’ the length of the tendon, reducing loading, but only when worn in shoes.

Heel raises could be helpful (in the right dosage to increase load tolerance) but could also increase overload if done to excess at the wrong time.

Perhaps there would be less Achilles tendon pain if the Achilles tendon was not continuously overloaded…

Achilles tendon pain – another elephant in the room that needs examining, why that particular leg and why now?

Pretty much everything in the body happens for a reason.

Could Achilles bearing the brunt of the load be a learned adaptation to a historical problem?

The previous sprains and pulls will have been prompted physical and behavioural changes appropriate for the time of those injuries. Perhaps these strategies could still be lurking and contributing to the current problem.

My role is to focus on a patient’s problems and find out what they don’t already know. That way I can deliver specific knowledge and skills to help them understand and therefore solve their own problems.

In this case, it would be identifying the skiving structures and getting them ‘back to work’ in propulsion to assist and offload the Achilles Tendon.

This testimonial for heel pain describes a similar problem and how we found resolution. (Essentially the Achilles tendon anchors down into the heel and then continues under the foot).

As a physiotherapist, I can help Achilles tendon pain and guide you back to what you love to do.

My clinic is in Blackwell Lane in Darlington, click on the contact form below to arrange a discovery call, to discuss how I can help you.

How I work – simple solutions to complex problems
How we can learn from our pain – learning from painful experiences
Finding the root cause of heel pain – heel pain 
Rehab after knee surgery – complex knee surgery rehab
Treating leg pain with pins and needles – leg pain with pins and needles

Main image courtesy of Unsplash – Steve Barker