Heel pain and Achilles tendinitis are two of the most common pathologies that Stepping Out Podiatry Landsborough and Kawana clinics treat. 

These pathologies are often managed with temporary offloading with in-shoe padding or strapping, strength exercise management, custom orthotics and/or shockwave therapy.

Different types of Achilles injury

Overuse:

• Movement patterns that place high amounts of load on the achilles tendon,  common in high load exercise activities.
• Longer hours on the feet at work.
• Sudden increases in exercise.
• Incorrect footwear can result in some people placing extra strain or their achilles.
• This injury progresses over time.

Acute Injury:

• Traumatic events, typically involving a strong and sudden stretch on the calves and achilles.
• This can evolve from an overuse of the tendon, or from a one off event.

Growth in children

• Tightness in the calf muscles of an active and growing child can sometimes cause irritation of the growth plate. 
• Shoes that are ill fiting or have no shock absorbing qualities can cause extra strain on the achilles tendon resulting in inflammation.
• Heel raisers and good quality shoes are a good start when it comes to children, however a proper assessment to rule out structural causes (flat feet, knee alignment, fracture) needs to be conducted to find the cause of the heel pain so you can manage symptoms well.  

Treatment Options

SHOCKWAVE THERAPY is proven to increase the healing properties of the tissues and decrease the levels of pain within the Achilles region.  This treatment is very successful and can speed up your recovery. 

It is not indicated for everyone, however your Podiatrist may recommend this therapy as part of your treatment pathway.

STRAPPING is a simple and effective management modality for achilles/calf injuries. The goal of this treatment is generally to reduce movement at a joint or reduce the strain on a muscle/tendon. This assists in getting patients through their day to day tasks whilst they rehabilitate their injury.

Your podiatrist will use different tapes and different techniques based on your individual presentation.

A HEEL RAISE the the most common form of management for achilles pathology. A wedged shaped piece of EVA, placed at the back of the shoe, lifts the heel in the shoe to shorten the functional length of the achilles tendon. This reduces the stretch and strain on the muscle and tendon whilst it is injured.

Your podiatrist will use different heights of a heel raise based on your individual presentation.

One of the most important stengthening exericses you can do is a CALF RAISE.  There are different techniques you can do with a calf raise depending on if you are strengthening the muscles or loading the tendon, so one appointment to show you the correct way to perform rehab exercises will be knowledge that you can keep forever.