What is Achilles’ tendonitis?
Achilles’ tendonitis is a condition where the Achilles’ tendon becomes inflamed and irritated. The Achilles’ tendon is the thickest and strongest tendon in your body. It connects your heel to your calf muscles. When you contract your calf muscles, they pull on your Achilles’ tendons to push your foot downward.
You do this thousands of times a day, with every step you take. As a result, the Achilles’ tendon bears your entire body weight, sometimes up to 5-12 times more if you are running or jumping. With all of this strain, it’s common for the tendon to become inflamed, resulting in pain in your ankles, feet, and calves.
What causes Achilles’ tendonitis?
There are many reasons for Achilles’ tendon inflammation. In addition to the day-to-day strain you put on your tendons, overuse, misalignment, improper footwear, medication side effects, and/or accidents can all result in Achilles tendon injuries.
Factors such as tight muscles and weakness in your back or lower extremities, uneven leg length, flat feet or high arches, or a sudden increase in activity level play a significant role in causing inflammation of the Achilles’ tendon.
Can I prevent Achilles’ tendonitis?
The best way to prevent an Achilles’ tendon injury is to maintain a healthy body weight, and stay in overall good shape. You should warm-up, stretch, and strengthen the Achilles tendons with appropriate exercises.
If you have an Achilles’ tendon injury, you can prevent it from getting worse by seeking treatment for the injury immediately. Your Achilles’ tendonitis will get worse if not addressed and could lead to complications.
How is Achilles’ tendonitis treated?
Dr. Beylin offers customized treatment plans to heal your Achilles’ tendon. Treatments for Achilles tendonitis include:
- Proper shoe wear (no barefoot walking or flat shoes)
- Anti-inflammatory medications
- Calf stretches
- Physical therapy
- Custom orthotics
- Splinting bracing
- Immobilization with a cast or a cast boot.
Dr. Beylin also offers stem cell and PRP injections to address Achilles’ tendonitis. These innovative injections harness your body’s natural ability to heal and amplify its effectiveness.
A sample of your blood is taken and treated to separate the platelets, which carry human growth factors responsible for healing and cell regeneration. Then, the concentrated serum of your platelets is injected into your tendon, flooding the injured tissue with the natural compounds needed for healing, produced by your own body.
If you have any questions about our services, please contact us today at (754) 702-2677 (Coral Springs) or (954) 325-9871 (Sunrise).