Achilles Tendinopathy Exercises, Self- Treatment and Explanation | FULL Exercise Program!

Hey there! Thanks for watching! Achilles tendinopathy is a difficult injury to manage and rehab, so I hope this video has been valuable to you. However, I'm pretty sure the journey doesn't end with just this video! Please comment below if you would like to see any more videos regarding this injury. Take care!
~Dr. Becca, PT
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My Links 🔗
FREE 20-Minute Injury Screens: calendly.com/becca-ihqi/30min
📥 Download PDF version of all 27 exercises and directions: ko-fi.com/s/cf7f608ddd
👩🏻‍⚕️ Coaching Rehab Injuries Online: bettermovespt.com/coaching/
💻 Website for more about me: www.bettermovespt.com
☕ Liked the video? Have a coffee with me! ko-fi.com/drbeccasrehab
✅Other links: linktr.ee/drbeccatalkspt
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Timestamps:
0:08 - Intro
0:25 - Anatomy
0:36 - Tendinitis vs Tendinopathy
1:49 - Mid vs Insertional Tendinopathies
2:32 - Why Tendinopathies Occur
3:13 - 12-Week Program Overview
5:28 - Reduction/Tendinitis Exercises
6:21 - Recovery Phase Exercises
7:50 - Building Phase Exercises
9:09 - Outro
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DISCLAIMER: The videos on this channel are not medical advice nor a substitute for medical advice from your physician or medical provider. This channel is meant for generalized education, entertainment, and informational purposes only. Please consult with your medical provider for personalized treatment to your specific healthcare needs. Perform the moves in these videos at your own risk. I am in the Amazon affiliate program.
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Sources:
1. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32267...
2.www.sciencedirect.com/science...
3. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32522...
4. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33785...
5. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34099...
6. OpenStax, CC BY 4.0 creativecommons.org/licenses/..., via Wikimedia Commons
#achillestendinopathyexercises
#achilleshometreatment
#sportsmedicine

[@dr.beccasptrehab]

👩🏻‍⚕I'm offering FREE (20 minute) injury screens through Zoom - sign up here: calendly.com/becca-ihqi/30min 📥Download a PDF version of all 27 exercises here for $5! ko-fi.com/s/cf7f608ddd

[@jackmitho9847]

This injury has been so incredibly frustrating. It's so hard to keep trying; to keep believing it will ever be back to normal. The setbacks are brutal. Now it's time to try again.

[@tttarms1970]

Any improvements?

[@Fyahking619]

Hey, this is my 3rd Achilles tendonitis in 3. yrs. It just comes back without any warnings.

[@blessingbusisiwekgware5166]

Oh my goodness it comes back after healing

[@donsheehan5144]

Thank you Dr Becca. Im pessimistically looking at a year to get better at 68.

[@paulkelly4731]

I'm past month 4 with my injury. Forced myself back into the gym, running on pain killers, but making it happen... starting to finally see some improvement... for me, the key is more work, not more rest!

[@cyclingfit]

Thanks for this! So helpful

[@mtjohnson65]

Exactly what I was looking for. Thanks so much.

[@evangelinevillanueva2569]

Thank you maam

[@mzthng7]

This is the best video I’ve seen on this topic.

[@SubOxyde]

Nice! 👌

[@MGood-hr8sl]

Truly relieved of the pain and will follow your exercises!

[@shaytikwa7469]

You are the best

[@AG-dt1oq]

Thanks girl

[@topotone]

Thanks Doc Becca…I get an MRI tomorrow. I’ll get in touch via your consult link when I know exactly what’s goin on with mr tendon.

[@danielaklein597]

Love your videos! 😊 Could you make a video about how to treat and prevent stiffness and pain in the neck?

[@dr.beccasptrehab]

Absolutely! That will be a good one 🙂

[@spencerblack3122]

Great video! Thanks for putting this together. For each phase, do you do all the exercises together in one session? Or do you only do one at a time and progress through them?

[@dr.beccasptrehab]

Hey @spencerblack3122! The exercises go in order of difficulty in each phase. So you can do all the exercises in one session if you can manage them. From easiest to hardest = Double leg heel raise > eccentric heel raise > single leg heel raise. Further, doing the heel raises on the step is a progression from the ground because it's increasing the Achilles load with increased ankle range of motion. So it depends on your quality of movement! Watch for your symptoms, fatigue, and most importantly, your slow and controlled movements 😊 hope that helps!

[@peggymarcus4605]

Thank you sooo much for this video. I had a 2 meniscus tears and i have alot of inflammation. I had a scope done. Now my calfs are burning so 🔥 much. I think these exercises will help.

[@dr.beccasptrehab]

You're very welcome! Just making sure that this video is about Achilles tendonipathy and not mensicus tears. But I do have a knee meniscus video on my channel 🙂

[@katepavelle9465]

Hi, this is very useful, thank you! I had a right ankle replacement with fusion under the heel and with tendon augmentation 7 months ago. I have been doing well, but I think the PT rushed me i to the building phase too fast. I didn’t realize this due to post-workout icing and electro-stim. (They are on a schedule for insurance reasons.) Since you asked, it would be very helpful to know how to calm the rest of the tendons in my ankle. The perineal gets tired very fast and the one running over the outside of the instep gets cranky, but less so. I have good days and bad days. The foot is loosening up now that I started using silicone toe separators and working on my muscle isolation (toe spreading, trying to get my individual toe control back. I try not to waddle and I use trekking poles as needed. I have been doing isometric and isostatic loadinf for the achilles, but haven’t found anything similar for the rest of my foot. Ankle replacement are getting more common with 3D printed joints, I think there may be others dealing with similar frustration. (My hip replacement was a piece of cake compared to this 😄) Thank you, `Kate

[@roundting]

How often should I do the exercises

[@richardjohnston1555]

Great video. I have reinjured myself, but I have made great progress. I will refer back to this video and use it as well as my first PT experience. I also like doing exercises in a pool as well as outside of it. What is very interesting is that my brain tells me that I am healed, yet when I do certain exercises, I am not as strong with the injured leg. Consistency and patience is essential for this injury.....

[@dr.beccasptrehab]

Reducing pain is step 1, then gradual strengthening is most of the rehab 🙂

[@thatsnomoon1161]

Hello Dr Bec, thanks so much for the informative video. Where would you recommend heavy isometric holds in this program? I've suffered with this condition for years and my exercise physiologist said there had been a lot of positive research around the use of heavy isometrics recently for the rehab of the achilles. Look forward to your thoughts.

[@dr.beccasptrehab]

Hey there! You're absolutely right! There are more studies coming out considering gradual heavy isometrics and heavy loading with good effects. However, a lot of this research is new and it is not completely clear if this will benefit everyone and if it's better from the eccentric/concentric strengthening. Isometrics can be a great addition to the 2nd phase of this program if you have the appropriate equipment 🙂 or you can increase the time in the plantarflexed position while doing standing heel raises. Personally, I would say working up to 10 sec. This will be a great 2nd vid for this topic in the future 😄

[@ashbrown1212]

Hey doc, super video, really clear how to do the exercises. I watched another video recently where they said to pinch the tendon in the initial recovery/pain reduction phase, before starting stretching and exercise phases. Is that something you don't advocate? Thanks

[@dr.beccasptrehab]

Hey! I can say that pinching the tendon before starting to exercise is not an established tissue healing method from the research 😬 But I can appreciate their possible theory - they're doing this to add more stimulation to receptors within the tendon (golgi tendon organs). So with incr stimulation before you're working your muscles, the receptors will react more 🧐 Did they explain their reason?

[@ashbrown1212]

@@dr.beccasptrehab Hi yes they call it "Cross fibre friction massage". At 3:27 they give an explanation, to "re-align the fibres". Seems legit, just wondered what your thoughts were on it. Yep it's Bob n Brad: kzbin.info/www/bejne/p6KknadnoMRgndUsi=1Esja8bI-Ru4AGn4&t=87

[@taniaeyden8897]

I was diagnosed with gout in my achilis tendon today. No injury so no idea where it came from. I don't eat red meat and I stopped drinking last year. I'm going to start with your exercise tomorrow. Thanks for doing this😊

[@dr.beccasptrehab]

Hope it helps! Consistency and gradual progressions are 🗝️

[@LeeJCander]

Mines back again after going for a year! This is a great video. 110kg doing Thai Boxing is no fun after already suffering from Achilles issues during my time in the armed forces haha. Love if you would do a shoulder impingement video. Mine hurts near the front when my arm is above my head and externally rotates.

[@dr.beccasptrehab]

Working on it ;)

[@LeeJCander]

@@dr.beccasptrehab Grazie signorina! I think most people at my club think I’m weak or making it up but a 60kg person running, jumping rope etc is very different than someone nearly twice the weight haha

[@NannyOggins]

Many thanks Dr Becca, I have recently started to play golf (at age 68) and repeatedly have tendon inflammation. Are there any pre game warmup exercises that I could do to reduce the occurrence of injury to my feet and ankles ? Many thanks.

[@dr.beccasptrehab]

Hey! 👋 There could be many reasons for the inflammation on setting during golf. I would first trial different shoes to see if there's a symptom difference, notice the amount of walking during a golf day and how much you would do on a daily basis, testing calf stretches/ankle joint stretches prior to golf, and maybe testing some heel raises regularly for maintaining ankle strength. Usually an Achilles issue is due to overloading the tendon - because our body wasn't prepared for the activity we wanted to do 😬 sorry I don't have very clear answers without an evaluation, but hope these tips help for the next golf outing! ☺️

[@peterc5167]

Great video. After a 1000km backpacking trip I have a painful non normal walk, exactly like your video! Now I have a winter break for 4 months before restarting in March. So hopefully that will give me enough time to follow your programme and hopefully make it go away. I hiked in boots, but now for the first time I’m thinking of switching to shoes. I noticed that putting a heel wedge in my shoe or wearing shoes with a more classic heel seemed to help. Does that make sense? Is it likely that hiking in shoes with a significant heel drop will be better for my achilles. I am certainly not an athlete, and not young, but after that distance my fitness improved, don’t want to loose it while resting up my ankle.

[@dr.beccasptrehab]

1000km! 😱 That must have been a beautiful journey! The shoe wedge makes sense and is a typical remedy to help ease pain when walking. The reason is because it is shortening the Achilles length during loading.. Given the distance of the trip, the Achilles was probably overused in this instance. So yes, only using hiking boots for long durations can add more immobility to the ankle but boots are still an asset in this context. I believe that additional training outside the boots would be necessary next time 🙂

[@alexspady7370]

Thanks for the great video. I have been rehabbing my Achilles tendinopathy and returning to running. What are your thoughts on using KT tape? Specifically taping my Achilles for use while running? Helpful or not?

[@dr.beccasptrehab]

Hey @alexspady7370! I have found great success with KT tape for some patients to reduce pain during an activity or position. However, I believe it's acting like an assistive device. Knowing the difference between its use or not maybe you can better assess your running progression and ankle strength 😉 specifically for the Achilles it's hard to say if KT tape will work or not as it's a large tendon. I would see if there's a difference in walking or not first.

[@alexspady7370]

@@dr.beccasptrehab thank you!!! 😊

[@Vintaronica]

I have been doing some quite intense incline running on the treadmill. And pop my Achilles tendon has been hurting, like massively 😮 stopped running for the foreseeable future 😢 started with these exercises and only a week in its improved by 60 percent, switched my cardio to cycling for the time being (hate it, but then again I hated running 2 years ago and now im sad that I can’t run for now) is this okay to do ?

[@dr.beccasptrehab]

Cycling is a perfect warmup to Achilles exercises 😄

[@Rebelmusedesign]

What did you can’t do any of these?

[@ma_little_secret]

Maam i have got an ankle surgery in which the screws are fitted in my ankle bone but not having movements for last 45 days, the muscle beneath the ankle is tighten... What should i do but recommend something that i could do while sitting because i am not allowed to stand for 2 months but doing stretching...

[@dr.beccasptrehab]

Hey! Has your surgeon referred you to PT?

[@gothops2632]

Can a person have achilles tendinopathy as seen on an ultrasound but no pain? If so, could that person be at risk for an achilles rupture?

[@dr.beccasptrehab]

Hey there! I like this question...this occurrence not only happens with tendon tissue, but knee meniscus, lower spine disc herniations, etc. Many people might have these 'structural abnormalities' seen on imaging but it doesn't correlate to a persons pain or function. There is a lot of evidence for this in the research. Therefore, you could always be at risk without the proper training for the goal activity or movement. Hope that helps!

[@tren714]

Im assuming i should wait till my swelling has gone down from injury to do these?

[@dr.beccasptrehab]

Exactly 🙂 you can do the first phase in the meantime. There's a large emphasis on strength vs stretching for Achilles rehab

[@maccamilner5670]

Are we talking three times a week for these exercises or every day ?

[@dr.beccasptrehab]

Hey! I left this more open because it's a generalized program where there's no personal evaluation. Some people will benefit doing exercises every day, and some 3-4 times for week as the exercises increase in difficulty. Hope that helps!

[@susanwesley8572]

My right achilles has insertional and my left achilles is torn/ruptures. Getting an afo brace for left on Can i do your program right side only?

[@dr.beccasptrehab]

Hey! Sorry to hear about your injury. Unfortunately I can't give medical advice on here, but the program is available for anyone with this injury.

[@helenstrange2482]

Hi. My problem is was born with CLUBFEEY and at 30 years old I had reconstructive surgery. Major on my ankles and had wedges put in. My ankles are not flexible so cannot do any of the simple stretches in your video. I pulled my Achiellis tendon on my right foot 2 weeks ago and walking is difficult now. Do you have any suggestions? I'm doing RICE Plus rubbing and it has been less painful. 😢

[@dr.beccasptrehab]

Hi @helenstrange2482! So sorry to hear about the achilles injury and recent difficulties. It's no lie that this injury is hard to recover from 😔 Would you have the opportunity to have an in-person visit with a physical therapist, orthopedic or another similar provider? I believe that would be the next best step as you're doing RICE for minimizing pain so you can get a thorough examination (ankle mobility/extensibility, strength, foot/toe strength, walking mechanics, functional movements, etc.) with personalized treatment. All of this and possibly more would be what a physio could examine in-person🙂

[@helenstrange2482]

@@dr.beccasptrehab yes thanks for advice. I have seen a physio and had xrays now just waiting for my appt with Ortho special in 6 weeks time. Long to endure discomfort but need to have an assessment as I cannot self diagnose this problem.

[@dr.beccasptrehab]

@@helenstrange2482 That's a long time, but hope the physio appt went well! Ok, if you ever wanted a second opinion from a physio, I do offer 20-min free Zoom sessions if you wanted to talk more specifics on the right path for you. This could lead into more of my paid services where I'm doing online evaluations and giving more specific programs after evaluating. I do this Saturdays, sometimes Sundays now. I'll leave this here in case you're interested: calendly.com/bettermovementpt/20_min_consult Otherwise, I hope everything will work out!

[@Leadership-in-Rhythm]

How frequently per day are these exercises recommended?

[@dr.beccasptrehab]

Hi! 👋 this is a generalized Achilles rehab program. So there is no specific frequency or duration for these exercises as this depends on your goal activity. Your symptom response during/after the exercises is also crucial. Ex: prior to injury if I ran almost every day, I would need to progressively return back to good single limb heel raise strength, power, endurance and jumping ability. Hope that helps!

[@josetrevino3480]

Inflamation and that burning sensation aquiles will this work

[@sallytemraz8614]

Hi, are these exercises for the insertional one?

[@dr.beccasptrehab]

Yes, it is for both 😊

[@cengizarici]

Thank you for your video. I have just injured my Achillies, sadly I have Grand Canyon hiking event in 6 weeks. It is very swollen and pain level is 6. I am not sure if it will heal and get stronger by end of September. Question: do you think I can fix my injury and participate that event?

[@dr.beccasptrehab]

Hey! It really depends what your goal is, what your history with this injury is like and what your current activity level is like..these are important questions. If the goal is to hike long distance through uneven terrain for multiple days, then this might be challenging 6 weeks out. Rehab for this injury to complete all normal activities again with out pain and proper strength requires normally about 12 weeks (+/-) rehab. I would get an opinion from an orthodontist or PT directly for more personal goal planning, but hope the video helps!

[@cengizarici]

@@dr.beccasptrehab thank you so much for your quick response. I will make an appointment next week. Sadly I was completely ready last week, and have been training very hard since last spring. The pain level is 5 and I am very confident it will be down to zero in two weeks. The issue is my tendon fibers. They can flare up… I will see if there are any medicine (voltarin, Ben Gay, cortisone) could accelerate the recovery. This is so frustrating, your video was very educational. THANK YOU

[@dr.beccasptrehab]

Hope it works out in time! 🤞If not, don't beat yourself up. Healing an Achilles tendon is hard, takes time, and takes patience. Don't overdo it too quickly 🙂

[@cengizarici]

Thank you I appreciate your comments. The swelling is still there, pain is slowly going away. Called my doctor. Have a great day

[@cengizarici]

@@dr.beccasptrehab , I just saw my specialist. I have Soleus damage. It is wrapped up and I am focusing fixing it . I am relieved, but need to recover and build that muscle fast… thank you again

[@bazinon]

Are these exercises the same for mid-portion and insertional?

[@dr.beccasptrehab]

Hey there! The exercises are the same. Some caveats for insertional: rehabbing is known to be longer, may be more painful, and other modalities to treat it are extracorporeal shockwave therapy, shoewear modifications, and progressive eccentric Achilles strengthening. Hope that helps!

[@bazinon]

​​​@@dr.beccasptrehabthanks for the reply! Do you recommend any kind of activity during each phase e.g. walk short distances, biking etc?

[@dr.beccasptrehab]

@@bazinon Normalizing your gait pattern would be priority #1. Then progressively working on distance or time for your walks, then speed, then uneven terrain by phase three. Biking is a great asset to have beginning in phase 2 for warm-ups!

[@Rebelmusedesign]

I have no chances of ever getting better after seeing these exercises… I’ve had five appointment, and no one’s helped me yet. Had an MRI and still very confused. Saw orthopedist today and he was a complete waste of time. Guess I live in the wrong place.

[@dr.beccasptrehab]

@@Rebelmusedesign Hey there! I hear your pain and frustration. It's difficult to give good advice to you here, but if you're up to it or have the time, I offer free 20-25 minute injury screens through zoom. The goal is to hear your story and to find the right rehab path for you. I can also further educate about achilles injuries, if needed. Further, I also offer paid services online, but we discuss together if that is a good option for you or not. calendly.com/bettermovementpt/20_min_consult?month=2023-09

[@pareshmurmu5673]

My Achilles tendon problem 😢😢😢

[@jebrown9789]

Appreciate the information, but the bells are so disturbing to both my small child and my dog.

[@Rebelmusedesign]

What if you have to wear sneakers and cannot do this with bare feet?

[@dr.beccasptrehab]

It is totally fine to start with sneakers then gradually try bare feet

[@user-xo8hn9nb6c]

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THIS SHARP BACKGROUND MUSIC. not relevant at all

[@bgf123]

4 years. Tried everything. Nothing worked. God hates me

[@GripCitadel]

God loves you! 😉

[@richardcohen3931]

Try PRP injections?

[@bazinon]

No significant improvement if you completely rest it for say 6 weeks?