Although many people think Achilles tendon injuries only happens to athletes, the truth is quite different. Injuring this tendon can happen to anyone at any time. As the largest tendon in your body, it is prone to accidents and mishaps.
If you have to pivot or do things quickly at a stop and start pace, you could be at risk.
Still, many people who suffer from these injuries are athletes. The sports they play include tennis and basketball as well as football and baseball. The injuries generally occur in any sport or activity where a person has to push off like sprinting.
It’s an everyday injury too
However, athletes aren’t the only people who can suffer through an Achilles tendon injury. The tendon can be stressed by wearing high heels. If you’ve got fallen arches or what’s called flat feet you could be susceptible. Certain medicines can even make you more likely to have one of these injuries and sometimes your leg muscles and tendons are just too tightly wound.
What to look for
As you might already have suspected, pain is the number one symptom of one of these Achilles tendon injuries. Stretching and standing on your toes aggravates the tendon and causes discomfort in your heel. If you tear your tendon, you’ll more than likely hear a snapping or popping noise.
What to do
This type of injury can take some time to heal. It’s best if you come to see us so we can recommend strengthening and stretching exercises as well as the treatments you might need. It’s our priority to be sure each and every one of our patients feels comfortable and gets the care they need.
It’s important our elderly patients know that getting immediate care for Achilles tendon injuries is important so they can maintain their mobility and freedom. If you can’t come and see us right away, there are a few things you can do in the meantime. To help the healing process along you can:
- Put ice on the injury temporarily. Usually 20 minutes at a time is a good interval to keep the swelling down.
- An elastic bandage around the tendon and lower leg also helps.
- Propping your leg up on a pillow is another good idea.
Remember, Orthotics is one of the specialties that we offer our valued clients. The gait corrections that we provide are industry-leading and we also have surgical correction of deformed toes and joints services.
