Your Achilles tendon connects your heel bone to your calf muscles. It’s a thick, strong tendon that allows us to stand on our toes, flex our calves, and roll our feet. But even though it’s one of the strongest tendons in the body, it’s something that can often be injured or hurt. Newtown Foot and Ankle Specialists offers Achilles tendonitis treatment in Newtown, PA and offer reasons why you may be having pain in your Achilles tendon.
Common Causes of Pain in Your Achilles
Most likely, your Achilles pain is caused by overuse of the tendon. It’s common that people who are athletic and active get Achilles pain the most. It’s not something that you should let go and keep doing activities on. This can make it worse and cause further issues and pain in your tendon. Seeing a podiatrist is necessary to ensure that things don’t get worse.
Typically, Achilles injuries may start out as Achilles tendonitis. If you’re using your Achilles tendon too much, especially if you aren’t taking the time to stretch properly, your Achilles tendon can become inflamed and painful.
If you continue working out and doing activities on that sore tendon, it can lead to an Achilles tear. This is a more serious injury that involves micro-tears in the tendon. You’re going to experience more pain and swelling.
One of the worst injuries to your Achilles tendon is a rupture or full tear. This happens when your Achilles tendon completely tears through or separates from the bone or muscle it’s attached to. The severity of this case requires surgery and weeks of physical therapy afterward to get your tendon back to the way it was.
Lastly, you may experience something called xanthomas of the Achilles tendon. This occurs when small bumps form on your tendon. This condition is caused by high cholesterol and will require diet changes to help remedy it.
How Can I Ease my Achilles Pain?
Depending on the severity of your condition, our providers will establish a personalized treatment plan to cure your pain. We have digital diagnostic tools to clarify a diagnosis, as well as a physical exam to recommend a course of treatment.
For mild cases, Newtown, PA Achilles tendonitis treatment will involve simply taking a break from working out and resting the tendon. This combined with icing and over the counter pain and anti-inflammatory medications can help as long as you take it seriously and keep off of it long enough.
Further treatment involves custom orthotics to position the foot in an ideal way for chronic Achilles pain and issues. Physical therapy can help strengthen the tendon and increase mobility.
For a full rupture or tear, surgery is often required to reattach the tendon. After this, a walking boot is used to immobilize the area as it heals. Physical therapy is done after to get the mobility and strength back that you once had in your Achilles tendon.
Achilles Tendonitis Treatment in Newtown, Pennsylvania
Are you suffering from pain in your Achilles tendon? Call us or schedule an appointment online so you can get the help you need.