How A Foot And Ankle Specialist Might Treat An Injury To Your Achilles Tendon
Posted on: 4 December 2020
An Achilles tendon tear or rupture can be a serious injury that requires surgery for you to heal. Although the Achilles tendon is thick and strong, it's still possible to injure it while playing sports, jumping, or running. Here's a look at how an injury to this tendon might be treated by a foot and ankle specialist.
Examine The Tendon And Determine The Injury
An injury to your Achilles tendon can take different forms. You might develop micro tears and tendonitis, or you might have a large tear or complete rupture of the tendon. The treatment you receive depends on the nature of your injury, and the location of the rupture is also considered when it comes to the type of surgery you might need.
Symptoms Of An Achilles Tendon Injury
If you rupture your tendon while playing sports or jumping, you might feel like you've been hit in the back of your ankle. You could feel pain and your foot may be weak. A strain that causes tendonitis can cause you to have heel pain and swelling. Although tendonitis may not seem as serious, it still needs proper care or your risk of a rupture can increase.
Treatments For Tendonitis And Minor Tears
Your foot and ankle specialist may advise you to rest as much as possible, although that doesn't mean you need to be sedentary. You may just need to switch your activities. For example, you may need to give up running and take up swimming until your tendon has healed.
Your doctor might prescribe physical therapy and anti-inflammatory medications to help with the pain. If you follow instructions for limiting activity, your tendon could heal in several weeks, and you could return to all your usual activities within months. However, your podiatrist might recommend orthotics if your gait contributed to your tendon injury.
Surgery For A Ruptured Achilles Tendon
Your foot and ankle specialist might recommend surgery to repair a ruptured tendon. Surgery helps the tendon heal quicker and reduces the risk of another rupture in the future. Surgery can be done with a minimally invasive procedure if the tendon separated in the right place. Otherwise, the doctor may need to do open surgery.
The advantages of minimally invasive surgery include a faster recovery period and a reduced risk of infection. You'll usually start physical therapy sooner and be able to resume your normal activities sooner with the minimally invasive procedure.
However, you'll still need to go through a recovery period where you wear a cast or boot and avoid bearing weight until healing is underway. The surgery stitches the ends of the tendon back together, and once you've healed, your foot should function normally again, and your tendon should be strong enough to resume sports and other strenuous activities.
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