The achilles heel is one of the strongest tendons in the body. It is responsible for springing us forward when we walk or run and also when we jump. It’s not something that bothers us a lot because it is so large, strong and durable. However, it can get injured if you workout regularly. Whether you’re a runner, weightlifting or cardio junky, the achilles heel can only take so much punishment. But it’s not like a muscle. When a muscle gets injured, we know how to heal it to some extent. You will need to do something different for a ruptured or detached tendon, and it usually means surgery. Here’s what you can do.
An achy achilles heel
If you have a sore or tight achilles heel, fear not. You are not in any real danger but you are putting stress on the tendon, more than it is perhaps able to take right now. This happens to runners a lot. There are some things you can do to protect your achilles heels.
- Get a stronger calf muscle. Do calf raises and put some flesh on your lower leg so the tendon isn’t taking such a pounding.
- Stretch properly. If you are able to mix static and mobile stretching, your achilles will be ready to contract and extend rapidly and thus, less chance of microtears forming.
- Ice the tendon straight after you come back from a run or workout. The sooner you can apply ice and stop the swelling, the sooner blood carrying white blood cells can begin repairing.
- Flexion of the foot is something to consider. If you could increase your range of movement through pnf stretching, your achilles heel could get more flexible and stronger.
The fears of surgery
If your achilles heel is ruptured, torn or detached you can feel immense pain whenever you move your foot. The achilles heel is one of the strongest tendons in the body because of how much force is needed to move your body weight. So usually, a rupture or tear is going to get worse and worse. Healing can take 2-6 weeks and you can get back to normal activity within 4 to 6 months if you try to opt to avoid surgery. If you have surgery the healing time might be a lot quicker and with more long-term benefits. However, you should always contact medical malpractice attorneys before going into surgery to realize what the signs of a bad surgeon or doctor are. This way you can know if you are in good hands and take them to court if they perform poorly in the operating room on your achilles heel.
The achilles heel is one of the worst places to get injured because it is the reason we can walk and run, or jump. No exercise that requires lower body movement is possible without it. So take good care of it through stretching, icing and if need be, surgery.
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