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In Greek mythology, Achilles was a Greek hero in the Trojan War and the central character of Homer’s Iliad. It has been passed down and presumed that he died following a fatal small wound to his one vulnerable area, the tendon above his heel (Achilles tendon). Thus, this spot in our anatomy has traditionally come to represent a person’s point of weakness. While the Achilles tendon is the strongest and largest tendon in the body, it is extremely vulnerable to injury due to the limited blood supply as well as the combined forces that are imposed on it. So, does your Achilles tendon:
- Feel tender or swollen?
- Experience pain when you rise up on your toes?
- Experience pain with any action that limits your ankle range of motion or stretches your Achilles tendon?
Injuries to this area are quite common.
- The weekend warrior who ramps up their activity without adequate preparation (the computer terminal slave that decides a large tree needs cutting down, cutting up and dragging off).
- Women who have worn high heel shoes all day during the week and go to sandals or barefoot on the weekend.
- Individuals who have an “over-pronation” of the foot see a cascading effect on stressing the calf muscles.
- Walkers or runners who increase mileage or inclines without adequate, correct stretching and preparation.
- Some individuals just have developed tight muscles along the kinetic chain into the Achilles tendon.
- Repetitive injuries, which can cause friction and subsequent inflammation, thereby squeezing the surrounding tissue, promote an environment for scarring along the soft tissues, including in and around the Achilles. The resulting inflexibility can then lead to tissue failure and further injury.
Conventional treatments include NSAIDS (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory meds) and steroid injections, which, when repeated, may cause weakening of your tendons. Conservative therapy, utilizing soft tissue mobilization techniques, electrotherapies and cold laser have proven to be very successful in not only pain management, but in breaking up adhesions in and around the heel, foot, calf and thigh that may have precipitated the architectural changes in the lower extremity. The plantar fascia on the underside of the feet may possibly be tender or downright painful. Even when looking at the calf, which is obviously close to the Achilles, there are layers of muscle that can be suspect, thus, there is a need to not just look up and down, but inwardly as well. Following treatment with the conservative measures listed above, possibly along with pelvic, knee and foot adjustments, I will typically advise stretching exercises like:
- Standing, facing a wall with the uninvolved leg bent at the knee and the involved leg straight, gently stretching the heel toward the floor. Do not bounce, but hold the stretch to your tissue tolerance for 5 seconds.
- While lying on your back, uninvolved leg is straight out on floor, or, bent at the knee to comfort. Then raise the involved leg toward the ceiling with a belt around the sole of the foot, toward the toes. Gently pull back on the belt for 5 seconds.
- While standing on the bottom step of a stairway, let your heel(s) gently stretch downward for 5 seconds.
- Yoga position called “Downward Dog” can be accomplished while face down on the floor on your hands and knees. Push your body up into an inverted “V”, keeping legs and torso straight, pulling your Abs toward your spine and gently stretching tour heels toward the floor. Hold for 5 seconds.
These can all be repeated several times a day, again, to tissue tolerance. These stretches should be discontinued if pain increases! So, if your Achilles is taking you out of your game (even if it’s just walking), give us a call to help you get a leg up on your pain!
OUR PRAYER IS FOR YOU TO HAVE A MOST BLESSED THANKSGIVING, ENJOYING THE GIFT OF YOUR FAMILY, FRIENDS AND FREEDOM!
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