Achilles tendinitis

　　The Achilles tendon is a large tendon located behind the ankle joint, connecting the muscle group at the back of the lower leg to the heel bone. It is an indispensable tool for human walking, running, climbing, and other activities. Overuse caused by various reasons can lead to chronic damage to the fibers within the Achilles tendon, such as overloading, frequent running on hard surfaces like roads, and climbing, which can all cause Achilles tendinitis. About 11% of patients develop Achilles tendinitis due to sports injuries such as running. Moreover, the healing process of the Achilles tendon is often slow due to insufficient blood supply. In addition, other factors may also cause Achilles tendinitis, including:

　　1. Not warming up the body or not adjusting properly

　　If you feel unwell physically, have not warmed up, or have not adjusted before starting exercise, especially for sports that require frequent stopping, starting, and jumping, such as basketball and tennis, it is easy to develop Achilles tendinitis.

　　2. Exercising too much or too frequently

　　If you start a new exercise program, be sure to do stretching exercises before and after the exercise. Start slowly and gradually increase the intensity of the exercise without trying to progress too quickly. If you do running exercises, too much uphill running is more likely to cause Achilles tendinitis.

　　3. Flat feet

　　Flat feet can increase the risk of Achilles tendinitis because flat feet cause the Achilles tendon to bear additional pressure during walking. If you have flat feet, it is best to wear shoes with arch support to avoid further deterioration of the Achilles tendon.

　　4, Trauma or infection

　　In some cases, the inflammation of the Achilles tendon is due to trauma or infection near the Achilles tendon.

　　Achilles tendinitis can progress to a degenerative disease called Achilles tendinosis. It refers to abnormal structure of the Achilles tendon, becoming more fragile and fibrous. In addition, continuous pressure on the Achilles tendon can lead to Achilles tendon rupture, which requires surgery to repair.

　　The most common symptom is pain behind the heel or lower leg during standing, walking, or exercise. The pain is mainly soreness, and it worsens with walking, fatigue, and coldness, while rest and hot compressions can alleviate the pain. The patient's pain may become more severe in the morning or after exercise, such as running, playing ball, weightlifting, etc. Severe patients may feel pain even when walking, which seriously affects normal work and life.

　　One, Typical symptoms of Achilles tendinitis

　　1, Pain, soreness, tenderness, and stiffness above the heel, internal pain, and stiffness, which may worsen after activity. It may occur in any area of the Achilles tendon, and the pain usually occurs in the morning or during rest after strenuous exercise.

　　2, There may be severe pain or tenderness when the two ends of the tendon are compressed.

　　3, When the lesion worsens, the tendon may swell, and nodules may appear in the lesion area.

　　Two, Symptoms of acute Achilles tendinitis

　　1, Pain in the Achilles tendon during walking, running, and other exercises.

　　2, The Achilles tendon may swell, and local tenderness is obvious.

　　3, The skin around the Achilles tendon may become red and hot.

　　Three, Symptoms of chronic Achilles tendinitis

　　1, Achilles tendinitis or stiffness often occurs in the morning.

　　2, Walking, especially climbing hills and stairs, may feel pain in the Achilles tendon.

　　3, Chronic Achilles tendinitis is long-term and persistent.

　　The specific preventive measures for Achilles tendinitis are as follows.

　　1, Before exercise, do warm-up and stretching exercises. If the tendons and bones are not loose, or the lower leg muscles are too tight or tired, the impact force generated by exercise may cause Achilles tendinitis.

　　2, Strengthening strength, heavy load lower leg exercises can allow the Achilles tendon to bear greater force. Body strengthening, enhanced training can improve the exercise level of muscles, tendons, and ligaments in the lower leg and ankle joints. Stretching exercises, lower leg stretching exercises can improve the flexibility of tendons. Balance ability, engage in some exercises to improve your body balance ability, and train your body's sensory ability.

　　3, Choose the right shoes. If the shoes are too big, people tend to bend their toes to grip the bottom of the shoe, which can overuse the plantar fascia and related tissues, leading to local tendinitis and Achilles tendinitis.

　　4, Increasing running distance too quickly or overtraining can exert greater impact on the Achilles tendon. It is important to progress gradually during physical exercise.

　　Hard running tracks, hard running shoes, and other factors may trigger Achilles tendinitis. Adding a layer of padding inside the shoe heel can help alleviate the tension of the Achilles tendon.

　　To diagnose Achilles tendinitis, the doctor needs to examine the foot and may need to perform an X-ray examination of the Achilles tendon area to rule out other diseases that may cause pain at the Achilles tendon. In addition, the doctor may also inquire about the patient's activities.

　　If the doctor suspects that the Achilles tendon has been ruptured, he may perform a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan, which is a painless examination that uses a magnetic field to display the images of soft tissues in the body.

　　Achilles tendinitis seriously affects people's physical health and has a certain impact on their physical and mental development. In daily life, we should pay attention to the prevention of diseases, and good prevention is very important. The causes of Achilles tendinitis are complex and diverse, and the symptoms are also different. This disease is mainly related to factors such as inflammation, infection, metabolic disorders, trauma, and degenerative changes.

　　1. Soy products:Tofu and soybean curd and other soy products are usually placed on the most prominent position of the health food shelf. They are rich in soy isoflavones, vitamin E, and calcium, in addition to protecting the cardiovascular system, their effect of strengthening bones can be comparable to milk.

　　2. Banana:It is the most potassium-rich fruit and also a food that can treat arthritis. Bananas are not only rich in vitamin B6, folic acid, and vitamin C, but are also easy to digest, and are the main source of soluble dietary fiber in people's diet.

　　3. Shrimp:Shrimp is one of the most popular seafood products and also one of the main dietary sources of vitamin D. 90 grams of shrimp can provide 30% of the daily required vitamin D, which is higher than the vitamin D content in a glass of milk. In addition, shrimp also contains omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin C, iron, and vitamin B12, etc.

　　4. Green tea:This mild astringent tea contains a very rich amount of antioxidants - tea polyphenols, and studies have shown that green tea can effectively alleviate Achilles tendinitis.

　　The treatment of Achilles tendinitis with traditional Chinese medicine focuses on dredging the meridians, harmonizing the Qi and blood, treating both symptoms and root causes. Medicines with the effects of anti-inflammatory, analgesic, promoting blood circulation, clearing collaterals, opening orifices, dispelling wind and cold are chosen for treatment.

　　1. Traditional Chinese medicine plaster

　　Generally speaking, pure Chinese herbal medicine for the treatment of bone diseases has the effects of anti-inflammatory and analgesic, softening hard lumps, removing blood stasis and swelling, relaxing tendons and collaterals, activating blood circulation and removing blood stasis, and repairing soft tissues. It can penetrate into the muscles and tissues through the skin, directly reach the root of the disease, and achieve the purpose of complete cure of the disease. Long-term use has remarkable effects, and this method, as the main treatment for Achilles tendinitis and tendinitis, is strongly recommended and widely used.

　　2. Massage and推拿 therapy

　　This is an important method of traditional Chinese medicine for treating various soft tissue diseases. Its therapeutic effect is to relieve muscle tension and spasm, and alleviate discomfort. However, it is generally prohibited to perform heavy massage and realignment, otherwise it is very easy to exacerbate the symptoms. It is recommended not to do so when the swelling and pain are severe, otherwise it may worsen the discomfort. Generally, it is not recommended to directly massage the Achilles tendon affected area, but can massage the calf area around the Achilles tendon to help the blood circulation of the entire tendinous network, alleviate calf discomfort, and cannot be used as the main method of Achilles tendon treatment.

　　3. Acupuncture Therapy

　　We generally use "acupuncture" more often, which is mostly needle therapy, also known as "body needle therapy", which uses fine needles as the needle instrument, and performs certain manipulations on acupoints along the fourteen meridians of the human body to regulate Qi and blood, adjust meridians and organ functions, and treat related diseases. Needle therapy is the most important and commonly used therapy in traditional Chinese needle technique and is the main body of needle therapy.

　　This method can temporarily relieve muscle pain, relax muscles, improve blood supply to tendons, and has a temporary relief or excellent therapeutic effect on acute pain. For chronic Achilles tendinitis, the effect of using this method alone is not significant and is difficult to cure.

　　"Moxibustion" generally refers to moxa moxibustion, and the main effects of moxibustion are six: unblock meridians and collaterals, promote Qi and blood circulation, eliminate dampness and expel cold, regulate Yin and Yang, rescue the Yang and reverse the Yin, and prevent diseases and maintain health. For the treatment of tendinitis, moxibustion can be performed along the Achilles tendon towards the calf, up and down, which is very helpful for unblocking meridians and accelerating blood and Qi circulation. However, when used alone as the main method during the acute stage of tendinitis, the effect is limited. It can be used as an auxiliary treatment in the late stage of Achilles tendon treatment, especially during cold weather, which is very effective.

　　4. Cupping Therapy

　　It is a treatment method commonly used in traditional Chinese medicine. This therapy can gradually eliminate cold and dampness, unblock meridians, remove blood stasis, promote Qi and blood circulation, reduce swelling and relieve pain, eliminate toxins and relieve heat, and has the function of adjusting the Yin and Yang balance of the human body, relieving fatigue, and enhancing physical fitness, thereby achieving the purpose of reinforcing the healthy and eliminating pathogenic factors. Therefore, many diseases can be treated with cupping. However, when this method is used alone, it has limited therapeutic effects on tendinitis. For obvious swelling and blood stasis at the Achilles tendon, cupping can be used after acupuncture to extract blood stasis (which can also be called blood-letting therapy) to be very helpful in eliminating swelling and unblocking meridians.