Achilles Tendonitis Treatment – The Various Treatment Types


Is it better to go in for non surgical Achilles tendonitis treatment or surgical treatment for Achilles tendonitis?

This question about Achilles tendon rupture has not only plagued ordinary laymen but also expert medical practitioners for many decades.

Achilles Tendonitis Treatment Types

In the early days, Achilles tendon treatment in the form of surgery often left a huge scar on a patient’s leg, increasing the risk of him contracting infections post the operation period.

achilles tendonitis treatment types
Surgical measures for Achilles tendonitis treatment have been shown to be more efficient

The alternate method to surgery was to put a plaster cast over the patient’s leg and let it remain for a couple of months till the tendon was healed. The risk with this method was equally huge which included weakening of the calf muscles and formation of lumps on the tendon.

But with time, there has been a lot of improvement in both surgical as well as the non surgical Achilles pain treatment procedures.

  • Achilles Tendonitis Treatment – Non Surgical Treatment

These days, surgical procedure for Achilles tendon rupture is considered only if the pain is chronic and no amounts of pain killers are having an effect on the affected area. In general, in non-surgical treatments, the foot area is first given a complete treatment based on the R.I.C.E principle, after which the swelling reduces to a lesser extent.

Once this is done, the patient can opt for a plaster cast which is uniformly distributed and covers the entire calf muscle so as to restrict its motion as much as possible. The other possibility is to go in for a boot which has adjustable rods and is much more effective when restricting the motion of the foot and the calf muscle.

Comparative studies made in the year 1979 and 2009 have shown that there has been a significant improvement in the way Achilles tendon is treated these days and also in the success of the Achilles tendonitis treatment procedure in the long term.

  • Achilles Tendonitis Treatment – Surgical Treatment

About 20 to 30 years ago, surgical procedures were mainly performed when it came to Achilles tendonitis treatment. The surgical treatment procedure then was considered to be risky as the incision that had to be made was about 16 to 20 cm long and this increased the chances of the patient getting infected post-op.

Today however, a small incision is good enough to perform surgery on someone suffering from Achilles tendon rupture. This will also help with quick Achilles tendon recovery, without complicating things for the patient.

Though a surgical procedure may not always be necessary, it has been shown that the Achilles tendon retains its complete strength better after a surgical procedure when compared to a non surgical procedure.

Studies have shown that the tendon regains its original strength only if there is a definite amount of tension between the tendon and the muscles. The only way of doing this is by repairing the tendon ends. Athletes and sports persons who need their tendon to be in good shape generally go in for surgical procedures.

These days an incision of about 5 cm is more than sufficient to set the tendon back to its original form. It is imperative that time is not wasted in getting surgical treatment as the tear in the tendon gets worse gradually which will only end up making the procedure more complicated.

When you face the dilemma of choosing an Achilles tendonitis treatment method, always opt for medical advice from your physician and consult him before you take a call.