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Inflammed achilles tendon

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Overview	Symptoms	Treatment	Prevention

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Achilles tendinitis

Alternative Names

Tendinitis of the heel

Treatment

The initial treatment for Achilles tendonitis is usually non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), like aspirin and ibuprofen, and physical therapy to stretch the muscle-tendon unit and strengthen the muscles of the calf. In addition, any activity that aggravates the symptoms needs to be limited.

Occasionally, casting is used to immobilize the heel and allow the inflammation to quiet down. Functional braces or boots have also been used to limit ankle motion and help with inflammation.

If conservative treatment fails to improve symptoms, surgery may become necessary to remove inflamed tissue from around the tendon and to remove any part of the tendon that has become abnormal.

Outlook (Prognosis)

Conservative therapy is usually successful in improving symptoms, although they may recur if the offending activity is not limited or if the strength and flexibility of the tendon is not maintained.

When necessary, surgery has been shown to be very effective in improving pain symptoms. However, if pain does not improve with treatment and vigorous activity is continued, the tendon is at risk of completely tearing.

Possible Complications

The worst complication is tearing of the tendon. This occurs because the inflamed tendon is abnormal and weak and continued activity can cause it to rupture. In this case surgical repair is necessary, but made more difficult because the tendon is not normal.

When to Contact a Medical Professional

If you have pain in the heel around the Achilles tendon that is worse with activity, contact your health care provider for evaluation and possible treatment for tendinitis.

Review Date: 8/3/2004
Reviewed By: Kevin B. Freedman, M.D., Section of Sports Medicine, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Rehabilitation, Loyola University Medical Center, Chicago, IL. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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