Achilles Tendinitis
Inflammation and pain in the Achilles tendon, commonly caused by overuse or tight calves.
What is Achilles Tendinitis?
Achilles Tendinitis is an overuse injury of the Achilles tendon, the thick band of tissue connecting your calf muscles to your heel bone. It manifests as pain, stiffness, or swelling at the back of the heel.
Common Causes
- Ramping up too fast: Increasing mileage or intensity too quickly.
- Tight Calves: Tight muscles pull on the tendon.
- Hill Running: Uphill running strains the tendon.
- Wrong Shoes: Shoes with a lower drop than you are used to.
Treatment
- Rest: Stop running to let it heal.
- Eccentric Heel Drops: The gold standard rehab exercise (lowering the heel slowly off a step).
- Ice and stretching (but be gentle).
Note: Persistent pain requires a doctor's visit to rule out a tear.
Achilles Tendinitis
Explore more at
RunningSlang.com
Related Terms
Calf Sleeves
Compression gear that covers the lower leg from ankle to knee without covering the foot.
Plantar Fasciitis
A painful inflammation of the thick band of tissue on the bottom of your foot, causing stabbing heel pain especially with first morning steps.
Runner's Knee
A common overuse injury causing pain around or behind the kneecap, officially called patellofemoral pain syndrome.
Injury & Anatomy
Know a term we missed?
Help us grow the dictionary by submitting new running terms or slang.
Submit a Term