Orris

Achilles tendonitis

Reading File
Reading File
Reading File
Finding Sources
Finding Sources
Searching PubMed

Achilles tendinopathy

Searching the Web

Achilles tendinopathy patient advice NHS symptoms treatment

Searching Images

Achilles tendinopathy anatomy diagram and common sites of pain

Reading File
Reading File
Reading Web Page

https://www.guysandstthomas.nhs.uk/health-information/achill…

Reading File
Achilles tendonitis, more accurately called Achilles tendinopathy, is an overuse injury of the tendon joining the calf muscles to the heel bone. It commonly causes pain and stiffness at the back of the heel or a few centimetres above it, especially with running, jumping, hills, stairs, or first steps after rest.

What to do now

  • Reduce, do not necessarily stop, aggravating activity. Avoid running, sprinting, jumping, and steep hills temporarily. Cycling or swimming can maintain fitness with less tendon load.
  • Use supportive shoes. Avoid very flat, unsupportive footwear. A temporary heel lift may reduce pull on the tendon.
  • Ice for short-term comfort: wrap ice in a towel for 15-20 minutes. Do not apply it directly to skin.
  • Progressive calf-strengthening is the main treatment. A physiotherapist can tailor loading exercises to whether the pain is at the heel insertion or higher in the tendon. Improvement commonly takes months, not days.
  • Simple pain relief or an anti-inflammatory may help briefly if it is safe for you. Ask a pharmacist or clinician if you have kidney disease, ulcers, heart disease, take blood thinners, or are pregnant.
Avoid steroid injections into or around the Achilles tendon because they can increase rupture risk. The textbook notes that imaging is usually not necessary initially, unless a tear or another diagnosis is suspected. - Textbook of Family Medicine, p. 843

When to seek urgent care

Get urgent assessment today if you felt a sudden pop or snap, feel as though someone kicked the back of your ankle, cannot push off or stand on tiptoes, have a gap in the tendon, or develop marked swelling and bruising. These can indicate an Achilles tendon rupture.

Arrange medical or physiotherapy review

Do so if pain persists beyond a few weeks, is severe, you have diabetes or inflammatory arthritis, or symptoms began after a fluoroquinolone antibiotic such as ciprofloxacin or levofloxacin. A clinician can distinguish:
  • Insertional tendinopathy: pain directly where the tendon joins the heel
  • Mid-portion tendinopathy: pain 2-6 cm above the heel
  • Bursitis, stress injury, or partial tendon tear
Most people improve with conservative management, but recovery often requires 6-9 months of progressive rehabilitation, as explained in this NHS patient guidance. Recent systematic-review evidence also supports assessment and rehabilitation focused on tendon and calf muscle impairments (PMID: 40347594).
This is a shared conversation. Sign in to Orris to start your own chat.