Achilles tendinopathy

Achilles tendinopathy is an injury to the band of tissue (tendon) that connects the muscles in your lower leg to your heel bone.

The two main forms of Achilles tendinopathy:

Injury to the tendon itself is known as tendinosis and is commonly caused by degeneration which weakens the tendon over time.

Insertional tendinopathy – where the tendon inserts into the heel bone and the fibres become damaged and inflamed.

I was lucky to observe a classic example of Achilles tendinopathy on an ultrasound during a mentoring day with Sean Savage @sportyfeetni Vice Dean @roycolpod and Lead Specialist Sports Medicine Podiatrist in the UK and Ireland.

The left image shows an injured leg showing a thicker tendon.

The right image shows an uninjured leg and a healthy tendon.

Treatment options include Shockwave therapy, Ostenel injection, platelet-rich plasma injection, and heavy-load eccentric muscle training programme.