In this blog Dr Matt Cooper (Osteopath) has some simple evidence based advise about Achilles tendinopathies. You may have heard of the term tendinitis, particularly in areas such as the Achilles. We don’t use this term anymore, simple because the inflammatory process is not considered the same as the classic inflammatory response as seen in say a muscle strain.
Things you need to know!
1) Rest does not improve Tendinopathy- Rest may help with a reduction in pain but it does not help with tolerating load through the tendon. Simply if you think rest will help, it will only lead to reoccurrence.
2) Exercise is crucial- Although tendons are very slow to respond to exercise, loading the tendon is vital. Be Patience and be active.
3) Injections lead to poorer outcomes. Multiple Cortisone injections have been shown to have worse outcomes.
Here is a quick video to take you through some basic loading exercises for the Achilles.