The UK’s Leading Orthopaedic Shockwave Clinic
Tel: 020 8549 6666
Achilles Tendonitis & Tendinopathy Shockwave Treatment
Many sufferers of Achilles’s Tendinopathy have recovered completely after treatment with our cutting-edge Focused Shockwave and Magneto Transduction Therapy, enabling them to continue with their sports training and return to competitive events. Veteran athletes have been able to come out of ‘retirement’ and continue their sporting activities while we have a huge number of non-athletic clients achieving pain free Achilles after a series of treatments.
The Achilles tendon connects the calf muscles to the heel bone, you can feel it at the back of your ankle – it’s the thick, springy tissue just above the heel.
Chronic Achilles tendinopathy is a painful condition and there are often unsatisfactory results with traditional treatment. Extracorporeal shock-wave therapy (ESWT) has been used for many years for the management of various soft tissue conditions including Achilles Tendinopathy.
Achilles’s Tendinopathy Shockwave Therapy
Achilles’s Tendinopathy EMTT Therapy
You can find out more about Shockwave Therapy and EMTT Therapy by following the links.
Achilles Tendonitis in Runners
If you are a runner or an athlete, you should be aware that Achilles tendinopathy is roughly ten times more likely in runners vs age matched controls.
Symptoms of Achilles Tendonitis
- Mild pain after exercise or running
- Tenderness of the tendon about 3cm above the point where it joins the heel bone
- Stiffness of the lower leg
- Swelling or thickening around the tendon
Causes of Achilles Tendonitis
Achilles tendonitis can be caused by a number of factors including:
- Increase in activity & overuse of the tendon
- Insufficient warm-up prior to a sporting activity
- Insufficient recovery time between activities
- Building your training program to quickly – especially hill running
- Sudden extra exertion, such as a final sprint
- Misalignment
- Change of footwear or training surface
- Improper footwear or worn out trainers
- Weak or tight calf muscles
Rehabilitation Programs
Depending on the severity of the injury, these can include:
- Rest, to allow the inflammation to settle
- Regular pain relief with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
- Steroid injections
- Using shoe inserts and heel lifts to take the stress off the tendon
- Physiotherapy to strengthen the weak muscle group
Chronic Achilles tendonitis may follow on from acute tendonitis if the condition goes untreated. This is a more difficult condition to treat, particularly in older athletes.
Discomfort will be kept to a minimum and gradually the impulses will become more intense, although little pain will be felt and if it is it will gradually dissipate over a few days.
It is important that you work with your physical therapist to ensure that you have an exercise regime and massage to ensure full recovery.
To book treatment for Achilles Tendinopathy request a specialist clinician to call you back to arrange an initial assessment Tel: Tel: 020 8549 6666 or complete the Contact Form below
Our reception lines are open from 8:30am to 8:00pm weekdays and between 10:00am and 4:00pm at weekends (excluding Christmas, New Year and Bank Holidays).
Shock Wave Therapy & Achilles Tendonitis
Patients who have suffered from Achilles tendonitis can often make a faster recovery and return to their sport or exercise regime by undergoing shock wave therapy. In independent research published by The American Journal of Sports Medicine shock wave therapy has been shown to be an effective treatment for chronic insertional Achilles tendinopathy.
We are one of the few shockwave therapy specialist clinics in the UK with the expertise of treating Achilles Tendonitis using the latest Swiss engineered focussed shockwave equipment. We undertake this in conjunction with a course of physiotherapy together with EMTT to aid the outcome of the treatment.
References
- Shockwave therapy for chronic Achilles tendinopathy: A double-blind, randomized clinical trial of efficacy.
- Eccentric Loading Versus Eccentric Loading Plus Shock-Wave Treatment for Midportion Achilles Tendinopathy
- Eccentric Loading versus Shockwave Treatment: Eccentric Loading Compared with Shock Wave Treatment for Chronic Insertional Achilles Tendinopathy: A Randomized, Controlled Trial