How long does Achilles tendonitis last?

The Achilles tendon is the link between the muscles and heel of the leg. As you know, the large muscle set is more powerful than the muscles of the legs. Alternatively, Achilles tendon is the strongest and the thickest tendon.

In the initial symptoms, a person may experience stiffness, pain, and swelling in the leg and then calf becomes completely ineffective or weak.

The Achilles tendonitis is subject to stress and the workload that corresponds to the entire body weight of 3 to 12 times that an individual when speeding, and pushing out, depends on the step, speed, the ground and the additional weight on the leg. In the case of Achilles tendon has been broken or injured,  surgery can be made to cure the issue and so it can be a longer period of time to cure.

An injury to the Achilles tendon can be caused by:

  • It’s excessive use.
  • A sudden increase in the level of physical activity.
  • Lack of stretching exercises before training or competition.
  • Excessive use of shoes with heels: when removing them, tension on the tendon increases.
  • Muscles or tendons of very short legs.
  • The injury can be degenerative due to the lack of treatment of a previous injury.
  • The rupture of the Achilles tendon can be caused by the use of certain medications, such as some antibiotics.

Treatments for Achilles tendonitis:

1- The conservative treatment or without surgery is performed by plaster and orthosis.

2- The treatment by means of a surgery where a suture of the ends of the tendon is made.

Surgery Types for the Achilles Tendonitis:

If it is an injury in Achilles tendon, the treatment depends on the severity of the injury. Other injuries may only require a cast but in certain injuries such as the complete rupture of the tendon, surgery is required to heal it quickly. There are 2 options for major surgical options, especially in an extreme Achilles tendonitis injury like a ruptured tendon: Percutaneous surgery or open surgery. Open surgery can be done using a large slit made on the back side of the injured leg. The broken tendonitis then is stitched together again. Percutaneous surgeries involve some small slits rather than large cuts. Then the tendonitis is stitched together again.

How long does Achilles tendonitis last?

If the injury is not so serious and if its treatment is a non-operative way, the method of plaster is guaranteed until the injury curing is ensured. The time of the healing depends on the severity of the injury and is often variable. Usually, it may take between 6 to 12 months after the Achilles tendon is totally cured.

Usually, in 30 days, you should be able to walk around your home without pain problems and may make short walks.

After 60 days you can start sporting activity as a continuous race or bicycle, swimming to not overload so much that tendon can start before and is also good for rehabilitation. However, you cannot swim breaststroke, if you can swim back and crawl, there should be no any problem.