A Brief History
A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of meeting a 47-year-old man with a chronic case of right Achilles Tendonitis. The heel pain came about insidiously with no known trauma or injury. However, what was very apparent was the huge “bump” right in the middle of the tendon. That “bump” was the origin of all of his problems. When he first woke up in the morning – pain. If he sat for a long time in a chair and then stood up – pain and stiffness. By the end of the day – pain. That tendon was constantly creating discomfort and limiting his function.
What Happened Next…
Upon our initial evaluation, it was very easy to see what was causing this person’s pain. Just as he explained to me on the phone, there was a big bump in the middle of his Achilles Tendon that was painful to the touch. It should be noted that sometimes with these cases of Achilles pain, it actually stems from a tight calf. This was not the case here. His mobility was good and no trigger points were found in the calf muscles. With all of that being cleared, we proceeded to dry needle his right Achilles Tendon. For our treatment we placed 3 needles directly in the painful areas of the tendon, put some current through the needles for 5 minutes and gave it some instrumented soft tissue work afterwards with some gentle stretching to finish. This same procedure was replicated on the second visit. By the third visit, he had virtually no pain in the tendon. He was able to wake up with no pain, sit for long periods of time and then stand up with no pain and the end of the day was practically pain-free. Over the course of the last few visits, we have even begun to notice that the hypertrophic area on the tendon starting to diminish. This diagnosis can traditionally take weeks or months to resolve but we were able to do it in about a week and a half. That is a huge savings for the patient on time and money.
Take Home Message
There are several reasons for the cause of Achilles Tendonitis. Sometimes discovering what that cause is can be tricky. However, when you match the right treatment with the right cause, like in the gentleman’s case described above, it can be like magic. Many times when it comes to musculoskeletal pain, addressing just a few choice tissues can make a world of difference. If you are dealing with Achilles Tendonitis, give us a call to see if you would benefit from our services. 479-402-9400 or email me at doc@thatstheknot.com
