About our e-newsletters
- Free e-newsletters
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- We do not share your e-mail address
Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
Housecall Archives
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Symptoms
By Mayo Clinic staff
The most common sign of Achilles tendinitis is pain that develops gradually and worsens over time. Signs and symptoms of Achilles tendinitis include:
- Mild ache or pain at the back of the leg and above the heel after running or other sports activity
- Episodes of more severe pain associated with prolonged running, stair climbing or intense exercise, such as sprinting
- Tenderness or stiffness, especially in the morning, that usually improves with mild activity
- Mild swelling or a "bump" on your Achilles tendon
- A crackling or creaking sound when you touch or move your Achilles tendon
- Weakness or sluggishness in your lower leg
When to see a doctor
If you experience pain around an Achilles tendon or heel, call your doctor. The pain may be caused by Achilles tendinitis, inflammation of other nearby tissue or other tissue damage. Therefore, it's important to get a prompt diagnosis and appropriate care.
While waiting for an appointment, you may alleviate pain with the following measures:
- Engage in less strenuous exercise
- Take a break from your regular exercise routine
- Put an ice pack over the affected area after exercise or when you feel pain
- Take an over-the-counter nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, others) or naproxen (Aleve, others), as directed on the label
Get immediate care if the pain or disability is severe. You may have a torn, or ruptured, Achilles tendon if you:
- Experience sudden, severe pain
- Are unable to bend your foot downward or walk on your toes on the affected side
- Cannot put weight on your foot or walk normally
- Achilles tendonitis. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00147. Accessed March 12, 2010.
- Achilles tendinitis. The Merck Manuals: The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals. http://www.merck.com/mmpe/sec21/ch324/ch324m.html. Accessed March 12, 2010.
- Baer G, et al. Tendon injuries of the foot and ankle. In: DeLee J, et al., eds. DeLee and Drez's Orthopaedic Sports Medicine. 3rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2009. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/0/view/2079/72.html. Accessed March 15, 2010.
- Simpson MR, et al. Tendinopathies of the foot and ankle. American Family Physician. 2009;80:1107.
- Laskowski ER (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. March 22, 2010.
- Sampson S, et al. Platelet rich plasma injection grafts for musculoskeletal injuries: A review. Current Reviews in Musculoskeletal Medicine. 2008;1:165.
Find Mayo Clinic on