When people get Achilles tendinitis one of the go-to exercises they do is the Achilles tendon stretch. But you have to be sure you're doing it for the right type of Achilles Tendinitis because there is one type you absolutely do not want to stretch because if you do, it is potentially going to make your problem worse. In this article, I will explain to you what the different Achilles Tendinitis’ is and what is the right exercise to do.
There are 2 different types of Achilles tendonitis you gotta look out for. One is the regular Achilles tendonitis that you hear about and in these situations doing the stretch is perfectly OK. But in the 2nd type called Insertional Achilles tendonitis, you do not want to be doing stretches.
So how can you tell? You can typically tell the difference between the two by where the pain is in the tendon. Your Achilles tendon starts from just below the mid-calf and connects to the back of your heel. In most cases, the tendon is injured in the middle part and you would feel the pain there. However, with Insertional Achilles tendinitis, the injury occurs where it connects to the back of the heel. If your pain is in the back of the heel when you rise onto your toes, it’s likely Insertional.
Whereas regular Achilles Tendinitis comes from overuse or putting too much load on the tendon, Insertional Achilles Tendinitis comes about from the tendon rubbing on a sharp bone on the back of the heel. So every time you bend your foot, in other words, stretch it, it causes the bone to push into the tendon. It would be like a rope being rubbed on a sharp cliff. Over time, if you continue to stretch, it would cause the bone to continually push into the tendon and start to tear causing pain.
Instead of stretching, there is a better exercise you should try to help the healing process. You want to start by putting a small book under your heels so they are higher than your toes. From this starting point, the bone will not be pushing into your tendon. Raise onto your toes and hold there for 3 seconds then slowly (Over 3 seconds) lower yourself back onto the book. This exercise should not increase your pain and if it does, place more weight onto your unaffected leg. You should be able to do 3 sets of 15 with minimal pain increase.
This exercise not only stops you from moving into the range where the bone is pushing into the tendon but also focuses the exercise on an end-range stretch of the tendon which is known to be more directed to the inside of the tendon where the injury is.
Other treatments you can try to help are:
- Place a heel wedge in your shoe to stop your ankle from flexing too far when you walk
- Icing your injury after you exercise with a good ice pack or an ice massager
- Self-massaging or rolling your gastroc/soleus (calf) muscles regularly to decrease tightness
- Electrical stimulation can help the healing process
If you try some self-treatment, know that you should start to feel some differences for the better in less than 2 weeks. If you do not, don’t wait to get it checked out as if you wait too long, the tendon will change structurally over time to become a weakened tendon which will cause it to become a chronic problem and even lead to tears.
If you have Achilles pain and you want to know which type of Achilles tendinitis you have, be sure to give us a call to schedule a virtual or on-site visit. We can answer your questions and let you know what the best course of action is including how to stretch. If it is warranted, we are able to look at the tendon with ultrasound imaging to see exactly where and how severe the injury is and create a treatment plan to help you heal quicker and get back to your activities pain-free.
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