How To Deal With Achilles Heel Pain

The Achilles tendon (commonly referred to as the Achilles Heel, and also known as the calcaneal tendon) is the tissue that connects your calf muscle to your heel bone. It enables us to run, walk, and jump on our toes and thus is subjected to plenty of strain and pressure on a daily basis. While it is a fairly strong connective tissue it is also vulnerable to injuries precisely due to all the tension in it. Achilles Heel pain is common amongst athletes and non-athletes alike, and you might experience acute short-term pain or long-term chronic pain.

Common causes of Achilles Heel pain

When the tendon in the Achilles Heel is sprained, injured, or torn, this can lead to pain and discomfort. Common pain conditions related to this tendon include:

● Achilles tendinosis or peritendonosis due to overuse, leading to pain and stiffness

● Achilles tendinosis due to age or overuse, leading to a thickening and weakening of the tendon

● Achilles tendon tear or rupture: Tears to the tendon can be small (microtears) or large with varying degrees of pain and impairment. In extreme cases, the entire tendon can rupture typically with a ‘bursting’ sound or feeling.

● Achilles bursitis: Irritation of the bursa fluid sacs that cushion the tendon, leading to pain especially when wearing shoes

Overuse or suddenly extending the Achilles tendon is a common cause of pain. Other factors that can contribute to pain include long-term use of ill-fitting or improper shoes, poor posture or gait, or simply not stretching out the muscles on a regular basis. Changing parts of your lifestyle – such as buying properly supported shoes or ankle supports, and adding a stretching routine into your day – can help you alleviate or avoid pain in your Achilles heel.

Managing Achilles Heel pain

The degree of severity in Achilles Heel pain conditions can vary greatly. Minor pain can be relieved with the RICE protocol (Rest, Ice, Compress, Elevate) or with slow stretches. Stretches or exercises that strengthen your calf muscle can also help promote healing in the tendon. These include:

● Runner’s stretch (or calf stretch)

● Standing heel drop

● Seated heel raises

● Standing heel raises

When doing these stretches, it is important to go slow and stop if you feel too much pressure. This is to ensure that you do not injure or re-injure yourself, which can prolong the overall healing period.

For less severe or long-term lingering ankle pain, chiropractic treatments might be able to help relieve discomfort. Radial shockwave therapy uses focused high-energy acoustic waves to encourage blood flow in an affected area and promote healing. Shockwave therapy is one of the most popular treatments at our chiropractic clinics in Novena and Tiong Bahru, and can help treat pain for common musculoskeletal conditions including Achilles tendonitis, bursitis, and plantar fasciitis.

In more serious situations, such as a rupture or severe tear, surgery may be required to fix the damaged tendon and you may not be able to use that ankle properly for an extended period of time. If you suspect you have experienced a severe injury to your Achilles tendon, you can consult a doctor to find out more about medical or surgical intervention.

Treat and manage musculoskeletal pain with Equilhealth

Equilhealth’s Singapore clinics provide numerous chiropractic services including shockwave therapy and dry needling that can help you alleviate acute and long-term Achilles heel pain. Before each treatment, our trained chiropractors will conduct a thorough consultation that could include visual and postural tests to identify and diagnose areas of concern.

Reach out to us to book a consultation for our chiropractic services. We look forward to helping you soon at our clinics in Novena and Tiong Bahru.