Be sure to follow on Pinterest , Google+ , Tumblr , and Facebook for more workouts and fitness ideas!
Alright, so what are we going to do about all this??
How to treat Achilles tendonitis: One thing to keep in mind – you’re going to treat an acute inflammatory response differently than you would a sea chronic Achilles tendon problem. For the purposes of this blog post, we’ll use a cut-off of two weeks.
Less than 2 weeks: If your Achilles has been giving you grief for less than two weeks, you’ve still got a pretty strong inflammatory response going on. The best treatment at this point is the good ol ‘RICE principle – rest (take 2-3 days off), ice (20 minutes on, 20 minutes off – all day long), compression (ACE wraps and ankle braces work well) and elevation (not too vital unless there’s a lot of swelling). Click here to learn more about RICE and rehabbing acute injuries. Anti-inflammatory medications like ibuprofen are also doing to help you out – I always recommend you take them according to the printed instructions on the label.
It’s also vital that you do some light stretching while your body addresses this injury. Exercises # 1-3 below are my go-to stretches for Achilles tendon pain. It’s important to note that the Achilles tendon is the common for two different muscles in the calf – the gastrocnemius and soleus the. It’s important that you spend some time stretching both of them as indicated in exercises # 2 and # 3 in the sheet below. Some gentle heel raises are also indicated – start with exercise # 4 and progress through to # 8 as tolerated
More than 2 weeks: If your Achilles has been bugging you for more than two weeks, you’re starting to get into a new phase of the healing process that is going to require a little more TLC on your part than if we were still dealing primarily with inflammation. It should still respond to the RICE principle indicated above as well as all the exercises below, but you’re also going to need to add some pretty aggressive massage to the heel, also. Massage assists in the tissue remodeling phase and will help the Achilles to heal stronger. 5-10 minutes a day; everyday as long as it’s not causing pain sea (if it’s too painful the next day after you massaged it you need to skip massage for that day). Massage the Achilles just one time per day before performing one set of exercises indicated below.
Alright, it’s the moment you’ve all been waiting for!
Here are the best exercises for treating your Achilles tendon pain at home. As always, I print off all my home exercise program sheets from a website called HEP2go.com . They’re easily my favorite exercise program generator – if you’re a professional rehab you have to check them out!
Achilles Tendinitis Home Exercise Program
Click on the image or the link to be taken to the download
You do not have to let Achilles pain sideline your fitness goals. Follow these recommendations, perform these exercises, and get back on track in a hurry!
What else hurts? Check out more popular posts in our “Feel Better Now” series:
If you have any questions or comments regarding Achilles pain or the Feel Better Now series on Tone and Tighten please comment below or send me an email at ToneandTightenFitness{at}gmail.com
If you found this information helpful share it on social media!
Check out the colored boxes below to share with your friends on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and more!
Make it happen,
Jared
Disclaimer: The information presented in the “Feel Better Now” series is designed to be used for informational purposes only. The diagnoses and treatment plans outlined are extremely generalized and may or may not be the recommended interventions for your specific problem. If you are experiencing pain, you are encouraged to consult a healthcare provider to determine the best treatment plan that will be in your best interest individual. Tone and Tighten claims exemption from accident, injury, or perpetuation of any injury incurred while performing exercises found on this website. The user assumes all risk … and reward !!
By Jared Beckstrand
So do you do each exercise everyday or do you work up to each exercise in the order listed? Thanks!
Hi Amber! So the stretches (#1-#3) are multiple times a day and the strengthening exercises are just once a day. Please read the set/rep info below each picture and the description to the right of each picture for appropriate intervals and progressions. Hope this helps you!
Jared