What causes Achilles tendon disorders?

Your Achilles tendon, the largest tendon in your body, connects your heel bone at the back of your foot to your calf muscles in your lower leg. Because of your Achilles tendon, you can point and flex your foot, and even rotate your ankle. As one of the most heavily stressed tendons in your body, common Achilles tendon disorders stem from:

• Overuse (Achilles tendinitis)

• Micro-tears or a rupture

• Heel bursitis, often from ill-fitting shoes

• Gradual age-related thickening or weakening

• Bone spurs

   

You might be prone to developing Achilles tendon disorders because of your inherited foot shape, too. For instance, if you have naturally flat feet, your chances of suffering from Achilles tendon disorders, especially Achilles tendonitis, dramatically increase.

What are the symptoms of Achilles tendon disorders?

No matter what’s causing your Achilles tendon disorder, you’re probably going to experience one major symptom: an aching pain along the back of your lower leg. This pain can even trickle all the way down into your heel. Depending on the cause of your Achilles tendon condition, you may also experience:

• Stiffness and tenderness

• Difficulty bearing weight on the leg

• Pain that peaks after periods of rest, like after sleeping

Without proper treatment, your Achilles tendon disorder is likely going to progress and even worsen. The podiatry team at Bregman Foot-Ankle & Nerve Center uses in-house state-of-the-art ultrasound technology to confirm your Achilles tendon disorder, so they can get you started on treatment right away.

How are Achilles tendon disorders treated?

Some of the most important things you can do to promote healing and decrease inflammation in your Achilles tendon are to stay off of it, ice it regularly, and keep it elevated. Of course, your podiatrist at Bregman Foot-Ankle & Nerve Center understands that it can be difficult to take these steps, so they offer several different solutions to improve your pain and promote healing.

Your Achilles tendon treatment plan may include:

• Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)

• Extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT)

• Amniotic or stem cell injections and the latest exosomes

• Custom orthotics or night splints

• Physical therapy

   

As an alternative, the team at Bregman Foot-Ankle & Nerve Center offers regenerative therapies. They can even harvest stem cells from your own bone marrow or use cryopreserved donor umbilical stem cells to further decrease pain and inflammation caused by overuse and injuries. They also use shockwave in conjunction as well as the latest exosomes*.

Before your Achilles tendon pain worsens, schedule an evaluation at Bregman Foot-Ankle & Nerve Center. Book your exam online or over the phone.

* Individual results may vary.