Pain around your Achilles tendon?

Do you have pain around your achilles tendon? 

We often assume pain around the back of the ankle is coming from the achilles, however, there are lots of different causes for pain around the back of your ankle.

Pain around the achilles can come from the achilles tendon, the paratenon (sheath around the tendon), the sural nerve (downstream from your sciatic nerve), the retrocalcaneal bursa (sits in the gap in front of your achilles), the ankle joint (impingement or OA), or the plantaris tendon (runs alongside the achilles). Each of these present with different types of issues, and require a different approach to treatment. 

Important questions we will ask you: 

What does the pain feel like? 

Is the pain superficial or deep, on the inside or outside? 

Does the pain go away once you get moving? 

Is your ankle movement limited? 

Do you also have pain in your back? 

Do you have osteoarthritis anywhere else? 

Identifying the issue is important because it will change the treatment required. When painful, some of these structures require mobility, some strength, and some just need some TLC and rest.  

These problems are known to be stubborn and persist for months to years, however, in lots of these cases it took months to get to the right diagnosis.

Get the diagnosis right from the start and you’re half way there! 

If you’re struggling with pain at the back of your ankle, give us a call, we’d love to help 😊