Remedial Massage & Achilles Pain - What you can do to help.

We see a suprising number of people for relief from Achilles Pain. So what do we do in a massage treatment to help? In this blog we give you some information about the background of achilles pain and how massage and other treatments can help to relieve it. Click below to read more.

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What is your achilles?

Your achilles tendon is the largest tendon in your body. It connects some of the major muscles in the back of your calf (Gastrocs & Soleus) to the bone that makes up your heel - (calcaneal). It helps you point your toes and lift your heels off the ground.  

Interesting Fact!

The term Achilles Tendinopathy refers to conditions related to your achilles tendon that result in pain, swelling and/or impaired function. A lot of the time Achilles pain is referred to as Achilles Tendinitis - which means inflammation of the achilles tendon. Current research has shown that inflammation is rarely the cause of your achilles pain, which is why they have changed the term.

So why does it get sore? ​

There are many reasons why your achilles tendon might become sore. 

• Micro tears & recovery time - In order for your muscles to grow and get stronger micro damage needs to occur throughout the muscle and tendon. This is a normal process. The problem arrises when you don't give your body enough time to recover and repair the damage in between bouts of physical activity. This can lead to pain and injury. 

 

• Overuse - This ties into the micro tears point above - Increasing the duration/ frequency/ and or intensity of your training quickly, particularly for sports that involve running or lots of time on your feet, can cause achilles pain.

 

• Weakness - Often calf weakness is overlooked when trying to find the reason why you are getting sore in the first place. It seems counter intuitive to strengthen something in order to decrease your pain. However the latest research shows that often achilles pain is associated with calf muscle weakness instead of calf tightness. 

 

• Ankle mobility & lower limb joint biomechanics. Joint biomechanics refers to how the joint moves through it's normal range. It also relate to how joints interact with each other to create movement - for instance how you walk or run requires several joints to work together. When there is a breakdown in the movement chain - pain and injury can occur. More often than not there is an underlying biomechanical dysfunction involed with Achilles Tendinopathies.
  
  Dysfunctional joint biomechanics can be caused from weakness of the muscles supporting the joint and/or restriction of the joint's range of moment from stiffness or tight muscles.   
  
  
• Tightness - Calf tightness can can cause pain/ irritation of your achilles tendon. The tighter your calf the more tension is placed on the tendon and it's attachment to your heel. Loosening off your calf with massage or self massage techniques can be an effective treatment protocol to help with achilles pain.

 

• Inadequate foot wear - Something that should definitely be considered when looking into the underlying causes of achilles pain.

What can be done? 

Your treatment protocol is going to be entirely dependent on they underlying causes of your Achilles pain.

Interestingly, a recent study measured the effects of strengthening your calves through eccentric load, massage and a combination of both  for the treatment of achilles tendinopathies. They concluded that massage and eccentric load were equally as effective in helping achilles pain. However, there was no significant difference between using one or the other or a combination of both together.

The study was only small - 60 people, so it needs to be taken with a 'grain of salt!'  The key here is to be strategic in finding out the underlying cause/s and what works best for your body.

Common treatment protocols include a combination of the following: 

• Calf Strengthening Exercises 
• Identifying and resolving any biomechanical dysfunction including but not limited to improving joint range of motion and/or strengthening muscles causing dysfunctional movement patterns. 
• Massage to the calf to take the load off your achilles
• Home care- self massage,  triggering, stretching or foam rolling 
• Rest or modified training including adjustment of frequency/ duration and/or intensity of training. 
• Checking your shoes.
• Checking your technique if you are playing a particular sport that may be exacerbating the condition. 

If you do believe that you have Achilles pain it is worth getting it looked at. Massage incorporated with the treatment protocol above can be an effective way to help relieve it. We also work with a great group of physios and podiatrists that we can refer you to if we believe that a team approach to you can is going to get you on the mend faster. 

To book an appointment to see one of our team use the button below! 

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References: 

• Brukner & Khan (2012) Clinical Sports Medicine 4th Edn, The McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd, North Ryde, NSW (p776 - 800)
  
  

• Stefansson, Et Al (2019) Using Pressure Massage for Achilles Tendinopathy: A Single-Blind, Randomiszed Controlled Trial Comparing a Novel Treatment Versus an Eccentric Exercise Protocol.  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30915381 
  
  
•  Sports Medicine Australia (2019) Achilles Tendon Injuries 
  https://sma.org.au/resources-advice/injury-fact-sheets/achilles-tendon-injuries/