Prevention

To help prevent an Achilles tendon injury, gently stretch your Achilles tendon and calf muscles before taking part in physical activities. Perform stretching exercises slowly, stretching to the point at which you feel a noticeable pull, but not pain. Don't bounce during a stretch.

Your Achilles tendon connects the muscles in the back of your leg to your heel bone. The calf stretch exercise can help prevent an Achilles tendon rupture. To do the stretch: (1) Stand at arm's ...

To further reduce your chance of developing Achilles tendon problems:

• Avoid activities that place excessive stress on your heel cords, such as hill-running and jumping activities.

• If you notice pain during exercise, rest.

• If one exercise or activity causes you persistent pain, try another.

• Alternate high-impact sports, such as running, with low-impact sports, such as walking, biking or swimming.

Strengthening your calf muscles also can help prevent injury to your Achilles tendon. To strengthen your calf muscles, practice toe raises:

• Stand flat, then rise up on your toes.

• Hold the elevated position momentarily before slowly dropping back down to a stand. Emphasizing the slow return to the ground will help improve the force-absorbing capability of your calf muscle and Achilles tendon.

• Start with raising just your body weight. Later, you can add hand weights as you do this exercise or raise your body weight on just one foot.

Some exercise machines are designed to help you do toe raises. This type of strengthening can be especially helpful if you're recovering from chronic Achilles tendinitis.

To avoid a recurrence of an Achilles tendon injury, follow these guidelines:

• Use warm-up and cool-down exercises and calf-strengthening exercises.

• Apply ice to your Achilles tendon after exercise.

• Alternate high-impact sports with low-impact sports, so as not to overwork your Achilles tendons.

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