Achilles tendonitis

Bones, joints and muscles
1

Hi i have been told i have achilles tendonitis by my gp , its been on and off for approximately 3yrs now , but this last 6mths has been unbearable i am waiting for my physio to start next week, is it possible to have both non insertional and insertional tendonitis on the same achilles tendon as i have excruciating pain in both areas

2

If it hurts that much I'd go to a podiatrist for a second opinion instead of a general practicioner.  I hurt my achilles tendon at work and it was misdiagnosed as tendinitis by the quack doctor my work sent me to.  6 weeks later a different doctor did an ultrasound and it was actually a partial tear which subsequently fully ruptured.  Check out my thread for further info.  I hope you get well soon!

3

Hi grussem

I have seen a podiatrist and he said the mechanics of my foot were fine , but he could feel lumps in my tendon( thickening) he called it and said they were caused by partial tears , i am booked infor physio on the 22nd october , but i dont have much faith in physio (prior incident after shoulder surgery ) , i am at my witsend , as its just through walking that my problem has started and its not like i can stop that

4

I also had tendonitis for three years, went through Physio, ultra sound, steroid injection.. In the end saw a different consultant because I moved from the area I lived in... He took one look and asked when I wanted to come in.. I live in uk so under NHS.. I do believe they only like to do surgery if nothing else works, so you have to go through the other things first.. Surgery has a 70% chance of being sucsessful. 

5

Hi swampiesue

My last physio treatment on my shoulder bust my internal stitches open and i required further surgery to fix the damage they caused

I have had 12 steriod injections into that shoulder also so don't have much faith in those either

I go for physio on it tomorrow and im dreading it , i am in so much pain already without them aggravating it , everyone keeps telling me to rest it but thats hard to do when its simple walking that has caused the problem and still is 😭

6

Have a word with your GPand tell, him or her your fears..maybe they will refer you to an orthopaedic consultant who can decide the best way forward.. I would have thought after three years you need an operation like me.. 

7

I am off for my 1st physio soon i will let you know the outcome i also suffer with plantar fasciitis in the same foot and i have had a mortons neuroma removed from that foot also

8

I am also from the uk swampiesue i live in newcastle upon tyne

9

Yes do tell me how you get on, my feet have been a disaster since I became 50 I think I may have a bit of plantar fasciitis too, I had a bungion done on my left foot back in Feb which went wrong and needs redoing.. I now face that soon too. 😔 

10

Hi swampiesue

I had my physio done , she says there is a lot of thickening on both achillies but its only my left one that gives me pain , my gastrocnemus muscle is abnormally tight when leg is in resting position and she thinks it may be down to my back , i will admit I do have constant lower back pain , she also thinks i may have a soft connective tissue condition, she has given me one exercise to do for the next 2 weeks ,

I have to lie flat on my back and raise one leg at a time up to a 90' angle but let me lower leg hang loose , then support behind my knee/thigh with both hands then slowly lift my lower leg up to a straight position until i feel it pull, it hurts like hell but al do it , she said she wants to stretch n try to lengthen all ligaments n tendons in the back of my legs as they are unusually short

11

I think the same i am 42 on tuesday and since i turned 40 a feel like av fell to bits and been put back together wrong

12

Sounds like the Physio knows his or her stuff.. I am hoping I will be offered Physio when I get my boot off.. I too have fallen apart since being 50! Everything is starting to fail.. Been worse every year.. Another thing fails! Many Happy Returns for Tuesday ..🎉🎉🎉

13

Ar thankyou swampiesue

Been doing the physio and its got me hurting like hell , my ankle feels like it going to snap , and since starting the exercises the pain in my back has tripled,

How is your ankle feeling since your surgery, can u feel any improvement

14

I'm not ok sure yet, I get a pain in my heel and sometimes calf if I walk more than around the house...so until I get the boot off and walk properly again. I don't expect it to be perfect straight away but I am praying it's better than it was and improves as time goes on xx

15

Hi Nicola, thanks for opening this discussion.  You might want to ask more about your back pain.  You will naturally compensate for this which will result in bad posture, stiffness/lack of flexibility or movement.  The side effects of back pain can lead to long term issues in other muscle groups.  You should try to address the back pain issue.  Unfortunately the physio may only focus on the achilles tendon, which is correct but you want to be avoiding repeat problems by also addressing the cause.  Also, I've done physio and stretching is a natural process that requires time but also commitment.  Even after your physio stops, try to keep the exercises at least a few times per week, but never overdo it.  Good luck! 

16

Good point Mike..

17

Thanks mike

You have made a lot of sense in your post , i was in a bus crash back in 96 and have had back problems ever since ,

I am doing the stretching exercise my physio gave me , its helping with the calf muscle tightness but is causing havoc with my back, mainly on the left side where my hip joins my spine

18

Are you sure you don't have a hernia?  It would be useful to rule that out.  Unfortunately it is common for this kind of pain if you have not had that kind of movement for a very long period of time.  Assuming you don't have a hernia, then continuing to do the stretching will gradually get better.  Talk to your physio also about medication as your body.  I mean antidepressants.  If they work then they are effective in relaxing the inflammation associated with your back pain and helping speed up the recovery process.

19

I meant "Talk to your physio also about medication as your body may need some help with recovering from the inflammed joints.

20

I will do thanks mike

I dnt have a hernia but i do have a cyst on my left ovary , physio did say that could be causing back pain also , but to try the stretching and i go see her again in 2weeks , my achillies is still very sore and early morning walking is dreadfull i look like a robot , it eases off then keeps coming back with a vengeance throughout the day and whilst i am sitting