Achilles Tendonitis Treatment and PreventionAchilles Tendonitis treatment has undergone some changes of late. Many physicians no longer consider "inflamation" to be the cause of this condition and therefore now refer to it as Achilles Tendinopathy. However some inflammation may still occur as result of the injury, so in some cases anti-inflammatory medications such as ibuprofen may alleviate some pain during an achilles tendon treatment process. The treatment of Achilles Tendonitis may culminate in surgery if less invasive procedures fail. The key to avoiding such drastic treatment measures is early recognition of the condition/prevention. If treated early enough, merely resting the foot and icing the tendon for a week or two can prove effective. Also, as Achilles Tendonitis often is a wear and tear type injury that develops from a tendency to overpronate, re-injury (as well as the total prevention of the injury) can be avoided by a visit to the podiatrist who can fit the athlete with appropriate orthoses. In some cases, the athlete may benefit from reinforcing the tendon with taping both during treatment, and afterwards as a preventive measure. Some therapists apply Achilles Tendonits treaments which utilize ultrasound technologies, while other use steroidal injections to assist in tendon regeneration. We have found warnings that direct steroidal injection can lead to a complete tear in the tendon, however. It is critical that the athlete allow enough time to heal the injury while it is in the acute and early phase as re-injury can lead to a chronic debilitating condition that is much more complicated to treat. Again... we strongly recommend if you are serious about your sports performance and serious about injury prevention... that you go and see the sports podiatrist sooner (before the injury) rather than later (after the injury)!
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