Achilles Tendonitis

The Achilles tendon is a large tendon joining the calf muscle to the heel bone. The function of the Achilles tendon is to point the foot, downwards at the ankle joint. As the cross-section of the Achilles tendon is much smaller than the calf muscle, therefore the Achilles tendon bears much higher unit area tension  and is vulnerable to the injury.

Achilles Tendonitis is a term that commonly refers to an inflammation of the Achilles tendon or its covering. It is a type of injury caused by overuse. Achilles tendonitis may be felt as a burning pain at the beginning of an activity, which gets less during the activity and then worsens following the activity. The tendon may feel stiffness and pain first thing in the morning or at the beginning of any exercise. Treatment includes rest, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), physical therapy, and orthotics. In some cases the injury may need steroid injections. For most people, the symptoms of Achilles tendinopathy usually clear within 3-6 months of commencing treatment.

In my clinical practice, I know that Gua Sha is very useful in the treatment of Achilles Tendonitis.

Gua Sha is a traditional Chinese medical treatment in which the skin is scraped to produce light bruising. Modern research shows Gua Sha produces an anti-inflammatory and immune protective effect that persists for days following a single Gua Sha treatment.

Some Western practitioners may know of and use the Graston Technique. This is a modification of traditional hands-on soft tissue mobilization. This technique uses specifically designed instruments to allow the therapist to introduce a controlled amount of microtrauma into an area of excessive scarring and/or soft tissue fibrosis, hoping that this will invoke an inflammatory response that will augment the healing process.

According to the Graston technique and principles, I use Gua Sha tools as an instrument combined with theoretical, traditional Chinese medicine to treat Achilles Tendonitis.

Treatment goal:

• Breakdown the scar tissue
• Reduce swelling and pain
• Recovery  of normal function

Treatment process:

Put oil around the calf and the Achilles tendon to reduce the friction on the skin’s surface,

• Following the Bladder Meridian of Foot-Taiyang, scrape from the top of the calf muscle to the bottom of the heel in one direction for about 5-7 minutes
• On both sides of the Achilles tendon, scrape with added pressure for another 5 minutes from the proximal to the distal
• Put pressure on the points of Kunlun (BL 60) and Taixi (KI 3) for about a minute each

In my clinical practice, I use this process to treat Achilles Tendonitis. For a majority of patients, (if they come once a week), after three treatments, they can see a significant improvement with their symptoms and after five treatments, the symptoms have almost disappeared. This indicates the treatment achieves a satisfactory result.