Achilles tendinitis

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Inflammed achilles tendon

Overview

Symptoms

Treatment

Prevention

Achilles tendinitis

Alternative Names:

Tendinitis of the heel

Symptoms:

Symptoms usually include pain in the affected heel when walking or running. The tendon is usually painful to touch and the skin over the tendon may be swollen and warm.

Achilles tendinitis may predispose the patient to achilles rupture. Patients who experience this usually describe the injury as a sharp pain, like someone hit them in the back of the heel with a stick.

Signs and tests:

On physical exam, a doctor will look for tenderness along the tendon and for pain in the area of the tendon when the patient stands on their toes.

Imaging studies can also be helpful. X-rays can help diagnose arthritis and an MRI will demonstrate inflammation in the tendon.

Review Date: 8/3/2004
Reviewed By: Kevin B. Freedman, M.D., Section of Sports Medicine, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Rehabilitation, Loyola University Medical Center, Chicago, IL. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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