So last night I got pain in my Achilles tendon, I didn’t hear a pop but it happened after I was running around the house in my slippers that have a tendency to rub against the Achilles area if you pivot wrong. I had a friend do the Thompsons/ calf squeeze test I read about to check if it was ruptured and the test was negative so I don’t think it is ruptured. So it is either tendonitis or a partially torn Achilles tendon. How do you tell the difference between them? If it is a partially torn Achilles tendon will it get better on it’s own?
Side note sleeping on my back was painful last night since the tendon rubs against the bed, does anyone have any tips on helping that?
I’ve torn both my achilles tendons over a three-year period - basketball both times. I think that you really need to go to the doc and get an mri. Full tears are easy to diagnose but partials are tougher. If it is completely or partially torn, surgery or a cast with you foot pointed down are both viable options. I had the surgery both times.
Third going to the doctor. If it’s partially torn, you don’t want it to tear the rest of the way. And you want professional advice about the best way to heal it. Surgery? Rest? I have no clue. But if it means wearing a cast for 6 months, you want to do that.
Mine were full tears, so no need for an mri. I knew that they were torn both times immediately after the injuries, since I couldn’t push off with my foot. If you can walk and push off with both feet, it’s definitely not a full tear. However, the options and recoveries of significant partially torn Achilles’ tendons are essentially the same as full tears. So I hope that it’s just tendinitis, or a minor tear. Keep us posted, and I feel your pain!
Even full tears heal on their own if stabilized in a sold cast with the foot pointed straight down for 3 months at least. But you can imagine how difficult life could be in that position for that long. I think the optimal treatment for a partial varies depending on the severity and exact location of the tear. But my ortho told me that the treatment options are the same for both. There is certainly risk with surgery, and you need to be healthy with good blood flow, but to me it’s the best option if you want to be back to normal fastest. I was running in 5 months after the first one and 6 months after the second one. You just want to make sure you go with a surgeon that believes in early mobility. Mine had my cast off in 2-3 weeks after surgery, and in physical therapy 2-3 weeks later.
At this point I’m pretty sure it’s just Achilles tendonitis. It has improved since it started 3 days ago. The only thing I wonder about is it hurts to raise up my heel much when I walk, is this a common symptom of Achilles tendonitis that anyone else has had?