Achilles Tendon Pain – Gold Coast
In Our Achilles Tendon Pain – Gold coast post we hope to give you an inside into the cause of the pain.
What is the Achilles Tendon?
The Achilles tendon attaches to the back of your heel beginning in the calf. The gastrocnemius, soleus, and plantaris muscles come together with their tendons to make up the Achilles Tendon. This tendon is not only the biggest tendon in our bodies, it is also the strongest. These muscles are the primary movers for going up on toes, jumping and pushing off when walking or running. Throughout these movements the Achilles Tendon can withstand forces around 10x our body weight. Therefore these muscles and tendons are usually affected with increased activity levels with running or sport, but can also be affected from our daily activities.
Why does my Achilles Tendon hurt?
As mentioned above the Achilles Tendon is highly responsible for our ability to move throughout our day and within sport. Because of the high demands and repetitive nature of our activities the Achilles Tendon is susceptible to injury. The most common injury found when dealing with the Achilles Tendon is tendinopathy (or overuse injury of the tendon) which occurs in about 55% of all Achilles type pain. This can occur from increased training load, or a rapid increase in activity levels. Another injury commonly found in athletes is tears or ruptures of the Achilles Tendon due to the explosive movements and the repetitive nature of training within sport.
How can I return to my normal activities pain free?
In order to return to full activities a proper diagnosis is important to identify the proper rehab plan. Physiotherapists and podiatrist are able to identify, and help design an individualised rehab program that will help you return to your desired activities. The rehab program would implement symptom modification while beginning a gradual loading program, and moving to more sport specific or activity specific movements to help prevent future injuries, while decreasing current symptoms.