Physiotherapy for chronic achillodynia
If a patient develops chronic Achillodynia, this means that the Achilles tendon is permanently inflamed. This means that it is sensitive to touch, red, swollen and often there is pain at rest.The resilience of the foot is extremely reduced and sport is only possible to a limited extent. Some sufferers experience a slight alleviation of the symptoms when the ankle is warmed up by exercises and then mistakenly take up sport after all, which in the end makes the symptoms even worse.
On a microscopic level, in chronic Achillodynia, tiny blood vessels and nerve endings grow into the Achilles tendon, which also thicken it considerably externally and also makes it extremely painful. For many patients, surgery is now a sensible solution, especially for competitive athletes who want to be able to work under stress and be fit for action again quickly. To prevent a chronic development of achillodynia, it is important to listen to the warning signals of his body.
If you often have pain in the Achilles tendon during or after sports, but it always disappears, do not take it lightly, but reduce your training. It can also help to integrate longer warm-up and stretching phases into your training in order to relieve the Achilles tendon as much as possible. Wearing appropriate footwear and a gait analysis can also help to anticipate chronic developments.
Surgery for chronic achillodynia
If the symptoms of achillodynia have become chronic, i.e. they last for several months and no longer disappear, surgery can be an alternative to conservative treatment. There are basically 2 possible surgical procedures: Removal of connective tissue and inflamed partial structures During the operation, the chronically thickened tissue is removed, including diseased bursae and connective tissue. Reinforcement of the Achilles tendon Reinforcement of the Achilles tendon can be useful if the tendon is already partially torn.
The surgeon can then either suture it or replace it with plastic. For this purpose, either the body’s own material, such as tissue from the calf muscles, or synthetic plastic can be used. Both surgical procedures have a good chance of complete recovery afterwards.
The Achilles tendon must be completely immobilized in a special splint for 4-8 weeks after the operation. Physiotherapy is also an integral part of the rehabilitation plan.
- Removal of connective tissue and inflamed partial structures
- Reinforcement of the Achilles tendon
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