Treatment
Achilles Tendinitis
Achilles tendinitis is a common overuse injury caused by an excessive stretching or tearing of the Achilles tendon in an acute context. This can lead to a sudden injury, or in the worst case, can cause a rupture of the Achilles tendon. In both cases, a lack of flexibility or a stiff Achilles tendon can increase the risk of these injuries. Achilles tendonitis is a degenerative change of the Achilles Tendon associated with pain and often with the thickening of the tendon. It is common in athletes, but it also occurs in nonathletes. Surgical specimens show a range of degenerative changes of the affected tendon, such as changes in tendon fiber structure and arrangement as well as an increase in glycosaminoglycans, which may explain the swelling of the tendon.
Cause
The cause of Achilles tendonitis is still unclear. Straining the tendon during physical exercise has been seen as one of the biggest pathological stimuli. Systematic overloading of the Achilles tendon above his physiological limit can cause a micro-trauma.
Healing Process : A tendon heals in essentially the same way as soft tissue, going through the same inflammatory phase (1–7 days of injury), proliferative phase (7–21 days), and remodeling phase (three weeks to one year). Despite collagen maturation and remodeling, tendons are biochemically and metabolically less active than bone and muscle.
