Do you suffer from pulling and nagging pain around the Achilles tendon? Then the tendon is probably overused. Read here which exercises you can do yourself to combat an overused Achilles tendon.
With an overstretched Achilles tendon, you may experience pulling and nagging pain around the Achilles tendon. This is especially common in avid athletes and runners. Often, the Achilles tendon becomes slightly swollen at first. If you ignore this, it may result in a tear in the tendon. When the Achilles tendon is torn, it is often not easy to repair by yourself. It often leads to surgery. To prevent this, here are some exercises to help the recovery process.
Exercise 1:
Sit on a chair with both legs on the floor. Slowly raise your heel while keeping your toes on the ground. Hold this position for 10 seconds and then slowly lower the heel again. Repeat several times. With this exercise, there is tension on the calf muscle. When this goes well, you can also choose to put some extra weight on the knees.
Exercise 2:
Stand on a step with your front feet, supporting yourself on the handrail or wall when necessary. Leave the weak leg on the step and take the strong leg off the step. Sink the heel of the weak foot below the step, come back up gently and put the other foot back on the step. Repeat several times. As you sink, the Achilles tendon stretches. You can make this exercise heavier by carrying a backpack with weights, for example.
Exercise 3:
Try stretching your calves daily. Place your feet back to back, with the injured leg at the back. Bend the strong leg, extend the weak leg and bend forward slightly with the upper body. While doing this, make sure your heels stay on the ground. You will now feel the calf muscle stretching. Hold this position for about 20 seconds and repeat several times.
Exercise 4:
Stand close to the wall, facing the wall. While doing so, put the injured foot with the heel on the ground and the forefoot against the wall. Put the strong foot behind it. Now lean forward with the upper body until you feel the calf muscle and foot stretch. Hold this for about 20 seconds.
Exercise 5:
For this exercise, it is useful to have a resistance band, but it can also be done with a towel if necessary. Sit on the floor with your legs stretched out. While doing this, keep your heels on the ground with your toes up. Put the resistance band around your injured foot and grasp the end of the band. When you pull the band towards you, you should feel a stretch in the foot. Hold this for 20 seconds and repeat several times.
When doing the above exercises, make sure you do not experience pain. If you do, you are advised to stop the exercise and rest. Pick up the exercises later when the pain has subsided. In addition, wearing an Achilles tendon support helps reduce the pain around the tendon.
