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In the past I have seen quite a few soccer players and other field sport athletes, such as football players, who have come in to have their ankle pain treated. This is not surprising as there is a lot of accelerating, decelerating, stopping, cutting and pivoting in these sports, often leading to ankle sprains and strains. Aside from common ankle sprains, there are those ever lingering, recurrent pains at the back of the ankle, one condition commonly causing these pains is Achilles tendonitis/tendonosis.
The Achilles tendon at the back of your lower leg attaching to your heel is the biggest tendon in the body. Inflammation or micro tearing of the tendon leads to a weakened tendon, causing the athlete to experience recurrent pains that don’t seem to go away, even after a long period of time when a sprain should have healed. Athletes will complain of the tendon’s tenderness to touch, commonly 2-6 cm from the heel; redness, swelling and stiffness, thickening of the tendon in the back of the ankle; pain with repeated toe pointing, or standing up on the toes; stretching the calf muscles; pain with jumping, accelerating and stopping abruptly when running.
How is this condition caused? Causes can include a one time injury of a sudden push off or stop from the ankle, or landing from a jump and a feeling of sharp pain, and sometimes hearing a “pop or snap.” It can also be caused by repetitive overstretching or overuse training in running and jumping activities. Previous multiple ankle sprains can cause ankle joint laxity and biomechanical problems in the ankle, leading to excessive strain on the tendon and subsequent tendonitis/tendonosis.
How can it be treated? Inflammation should be initially treated with icing, rest, and modification of activities. Taping and proper footwear can also help prevent the injury from getting worse. The tendon then needs to be progressively stretched and strengthened so that it can be strong enough to withstand the forces put on it from running and jumping. If it is not fully strengthened, it may re-tear and become inflamed again. Full recovery can take 6-16 weeks. Please feel free to email or call us if you have any further questions. Book an appointment if you are currently experiencing these symptoms above. The sooner this injury is treated the higher the success rate. Look forward to meeting you in the clinic.
