How Do I Overcome My Sore Achilles Tendon Problems?

For people on the go and people who workout often, sore and aching muscles are nothing unusual. And one of the most usual recipient of that aching sensation is the achilles tendon.

However, letting the soreness naturally ebb away might sometimes take longer than it should. For times like this, it’s important that you know how to overcome your sore achilles tendon. Because this might impend your daily tasks and responsibilities.

You might think to yourself, how do I overcome my sore Achilles tendon?

Who knows? The remedy to your sore muscles might be found just in the comforts of your own home. It is important that you know how to detect early signs of Achilles Tendonitis and how to cure it. This will prevent your situation from getting any worse.

Causes of a Sore Achilles Tendon

The achilles tendon attaches your heel bone to your calf muscles. Hence, excessive running or walking can lead to soreness. This is because this tendon receives a lot of stress and weight from your body.

Furthermore, your chances of having a sore achilles tendon increases if you’re into sports that requires a lot of pivot action. An example would be tennis and basketball.

Soreness can also occur if you don’t make a habit of warming up your feet before running or playing. The quality and fitting of your shoes also have an effect.

Personally, I had a sore achilles caused by a mix of bad habits (I don’t do warm ups) and rugged basketball practice everyday. Although it definitely was lighter compared to other injuries such as a sprained ankle, pain still lingers. Thus, it affects your overall daily routine even when you’re just walking. What’s worse, if you’re in the field of training and sports, having one can severely delay the progress of your game. Sore achilles are serious enough for professional sports team to list a player inactive if he or she is suffering from one.

How to Overcome Your Sore Achilles Tendon

Although an inflamed Achilles tendon sounds really scary, it is actually pretty simple to cure at home. That is, if detected and treated early. You must get yourself checked at the first sign of discomfort in your heels and Achilles tendon.

You can get yourself checked through an X-ray, ultrasound or an MRI scanner. However, should you need instant remedies at home to reduce the pain and swelling, here are several methods on how to overcome your sore Achilles tendon.

(These might not completely or permanently cure your sore Achilles’ tendons so it’s best to still get proper diagnosis and treatment.)

#1 Rice Method

Things you will need:

  • Crutches (optional)
  • Ice/cold compress
  • Tie/cloth (this will used to tie the bag of ice or ice compress to your Achilles tendon)
  • Bandage/athlete’s tape

The rice method actually doesn’t use rice or any grains of some sort. It is an abbreviation which stands for: Rest, Ice, Compress and Elevate.

Rest. Just like any other inflammations in the body, rest is very much needed to avoid straining any muscles further. This will help the strain heal faster. Ideally, it’s best not to apply any pressure at all on your sore tendons by not walking, running or exercising for a good one to two days. However, if you can’t help it, you can always use crutches.

Ice. When staying at home, it’s best to out cold compress on your sore Achilles tendon. You can simply use a cold compress or put ice in a bag (can be a towel or cloth) then tie or wrap it around the inflamed area. This will gelp reduce soreness and swelling as it relaxes the muscles.

Compression. You can do this by simply putting a cloth, bandage or an athlete’s tape around the area which is swelling. Tying something around it will help keep the swelling to a minimum. That’s compression!

However, beware of tying it too tight. This might restrict your blood flow in that area. This is my least favorite part in this method as I tend to apply too much pressure when tying knots. It ends up getting too painful.

If you have a hard time doing this by yourself, you can always just ask somebody else with gentler hands to do it for you.

Elevate. Whenever you’re sleeping or lying down, elevate your legs/feet higher than your chest. This will help your blood flow smoothly from your feet back to your heart and thus reduce swelling. You can simply use a pillow to do this.

#2 Medical Treatment

Some people with severe cases of Achilles Tendonitis undergo physical therapy or wear leg braces. Some even undergo surgery, especially when the tendon is already ruptured. But then, let’s all hope and try our best not reach this point, shall we?

At the End of the Day…

Do note that the remedies we listed above aren’t everything you can try. You can opt for just simple anti-inflammatory medications like Ibuprofen and Aspirin. Or wear shoes with built-in heels in the, to lessen the everyday pressures of walking on your heels.

In the end, prevention is still better than cure. If we can avoid sore Achilles tendons, it’s best that we should, right? Nothing beats a perfectly functional set of legs and feet.

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Emily Carter

Emily Carter is an American competitive athlete who is always trying to push herself to the limit. She is also the founder of GoAheadRunner, where her associates blog contain articles to provide everything a runner needs, whether you are a seasoned pro or an absolute beginner. As a certified holistic life coach, Emily also has 3 years' experience as a power running instructor and holds a degree in sport science. She loves bringing what she knows and learns to the community and hopes to help everyone to the road to happiness.

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