Achilles Tendinitis
Tendinitis vs. Tendinosis—Is it all just the same thing?
Is your Achilles pain the tip of the iceberg to a bigger problem?
Everyone has heard of, and most people have experienced some type of tendinitis. The suffix, "-itis", refers to to inflammation. But it does not explain why the tendon is inflamed. We must dig deeper to find out the reason if the tendon pain is to be fixed permanently.
Spoiler alert 🚨--cortisone shots won't fix the tendon pain!
In fact, what you aren't told when getting a cortisone shot for tendinitis is that it can actually weaken and degrade the tendon. What's more, if the pain does subside and you go back to loading it too early, then you will unknowingly work yourself into a torn tendon. Not good!
Achilles tendon ruptures occur 97% of the time in degenerated tendons.
Inflammation when local to damaged tissue is a natural response to heal the area. Think of the examples of a bruise on your arm or a torn hamstring. Blunting the inflammation too much can slow down the natural process of proper healing.
So what's the difference between tendinitis and tendinosis?
Check out the picture with the spaghetti above. This is a great example of what your tendon looks like when it degenerates into tendinosis. Instead of being straight, in line, and organized the tendon becomes weak, disorganized, and thicker.
Tendinosis occurs when a tendon is either loaded too much or too little over time. The fibers cannot repair/build to keep up with the metabolic demands. This can occur in the absence of inflammation. Tendinitis--or inflammation--simply means the tendon has been overloaded in a shorter period of time. It may or may not indicate degeneration of the tendon (tendinosis).
How can you test for tendinosis at home?
Does the tendon in question feel thicker than the tendon on the unaffected limb?
Does the tendon in question feel thicker than the tendon on the unaffected limb?
Is it painful when pressed or squeezed when you don't have acute tendinitis?
Does the tendon ache at rest and get better with warming up?
Is the tendon more painful the day after more activity?
If you answered yes to these questions, then your tendon is degenerating and in danger of further chronic pain and injury.
We have always had incredible success treating tendon injuries in our clinic. Now, with the addition of shockwave utilization under our Integrative Diagnosis systems, our results are even better!