Achilles Tendinitis Treatment Unley
At Heel Pain Clinics of Adelaide, we frequently treat a condition known as Achilles Tendonitis. This condition manifests as inflammation or deterioration due to an overextension and repeated strain on the Achilles tendon. We cater to the needs of numerous Achilles Tendon Injury patients in Unley daily.
What Are The Symptoms Of Achilles Tendinitis?
Patients who come to us with Achilles injuries often report a similar set of experiences:
- Sensing pain and stiffness in the area first thing in the morning
- The discomfort subsides somewhat after mobilising and warming up, often facilitated by a warm shower
- After several hours of activity, notably running, tennis, football, and dancing, the pain usually re-emerges
What Are The Causes Of Achilles Tendon Injuries?
The Achilles Tendon is usually subjected to three common injuries:
- Achilles Tendinitis (Achilles Tendon inflammation)
- Achilles Tendinosis/Tendonopathy (Achilles Tendon degeneration)
- Retrocalneal Bursitis
At Heel Pain Clinics of Adelaide, Achilles Tendinitis presents most commonly and is characterized by acute inflammation.

The tendon progressively swells and thickens, eventually leading to a chronic condition that becomes increasingly difficult to manage the longer it is left untreated. Symptoms often encompass stiffness behind the heel or ankle when waking up. For those with Achilles tendinitis, pain usually alleviates with exercise but returns and intensifies afterwards. Examining such inflammatory conditions under a microscope reveals specific cells that the body dispatches to the site to tackle inflammation and facilitate tendon recovery. During this stage, the duration for recovery is relatively short. If left untreated for over six months, the condition could progress into Achilles Tendinosis (see below), necessitating a recovery period ranging from 6 to 12 months.
At Heel Pain Clinics of Adelaide, we see people presenting with an Achilles Tendon injury which has dogged them for over half a year. The make-up of the tendon has completely changed and this is harder to resolve than Achilles Tendinitis.
The condition known as Achilles Tendonopathy or Achilles Tendinosis is a progressed stage of chronic Achilles Tendinitis. However, unlike Tendinitis, Tendonopathy doesn’t feature inflammation. The symptoms instead include scarring, thickening, and/or microtear disruption within the tendon. Typically, the area around the tendon doesn’t exhibit redness or warmth, but it can often be painful when touched.
At Heel Pain Clinics of Adelaide we occasionally see Retrocalcaneal Bursitis. It refers to inflammation within the lubricating fluid like sac, which lies between the Achilles tendon and the heel bone. It is highly likely that there is the presence of a prominent bony bump on the outside-top border of the back of the heel. This is known as a Haglund’s deformity.

Treatment For Achilles Tendinitis
We make available a broad spectrum of treatment possibilities for pain relief or for managing your Achilles tendon injury. Once we have gathered a detailed history and conducted a meticulous evaluation of your condition, we put together a treatment protocol specifically customized to cater to your needs.
Treatment options include:
- Achilles stretching, strengthening and icing
- Radial Shockwave Therapy
- Address biomechanics (shoes/ orthotics)
- Modify training
At Heel Pain Clinics of Adelaide, we have our Don’t Let Achilles Be Your Heel System which treats the underlying causes which lead to stress of the Achilles Tendon.
The Don’t Let Achilles Be Your Heel System comprises of three components:
- Stretching and Strengthening Regime
- Extracorporal Shockwave Therapy
- Addressing your Biomechanics Walking/Running Pattern
If you have Achilles Tendinitis and there is no rupture this has been clinically proven to have a 98% success rate*.
*These journal articles can be provided upon request after your Initial Gap Free Assessment

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