Achilles Tendon Pain

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Physical health problems encountered during adolescence can affect the development of the body, if not treated. There are few anatomic regions, such as spine, knee and ankle, in adolescents which can get orthopedic problems such as Osgood-Schlatter disease, and Slipped Capital Femoral Epiphysis.

Osgood-Schlatter disease is caused due to injury or overuse of the knee which causes swelling and pain in the area below the knee, above the shin bone. The patellar tendon and the soft tissues surrounding it gets inflamed, because of the constant pulling of the area where the tendon joins the below knee. Usually, adolescents who participate in sports actively and are athletic, such as football, basketball, soccer, ballet and gymnastics, tend to get the Osgood-Schlatter disease. Boys of age eleven to fifteen and girls of age eight to thirteen are at greater risk. The reason why adolescents get this problem is that their bones grow faster when compared to the tendons and muscles in this age and because of this the muscles and tendons stretch and become tight.

The symptoms of Osgood-Schlatter disease are swelling of knee, tenderness below knee area and limping. The doctor will check the medical history of the patient and will conduct physical examination and diagnostic procedures such as taking an X-ray. The physician will decide on the treatment to be done by studying the overall health, age, medical history, tolerance for certain medications and extent of the disease. Treatment will include medications, rest, compression, elevation, neoprene knee sleeve and physical therapy. The main aim will be to control and limit the knee pain by cutting down on the adolescent’s physical activities. Usually the Osgood-Schlatter disease gets healed over a period of time and in very rare cases is a surgery required.

Slipped capital femoral epiphysis is a problem which affects the hip joint. The ball or head of the thigh bone, also known as femoral head slips from the thigh bone’s neck. Because of this the hip joint becomes stiff and painful. Slipped capital femoral epiphysis is the most common disorder of the hip which can happen in both the hips or one and it is more common in boys when compared to girls. Basically, adolescents of the age ten to eighteen years and who are overweight can be affected by this condition. The condition can arise over a time interval of few weeks or years. The condition, if resulted because of trauma and is also called acute slip and if results after a period of time is called chronic slip. Slipped capital femoral epiphysis is caused because of medications, radiation treatment, thyroid problems, and chemotherapy.

There are three degrees of intensity of slipped capital femoral epiphysis, mild, moderate and severe. In mild slipped capital femoral epiphysis, only one third of femoral head slips from the thigh bone. In moderate, one third to half slips and in severe, more than half of the femoral head slips. The symptoms of this condition are pain in hip which increases upon movement, pain in thigh, knee & groin and limpness in the leg. When an adolescent walks there will be a clicking sound in the hip and his/her legs will be turned outwards.

Apart from studying the medical history of the patient, the doctor will recommend diagnostic procedures such as bone scans, X-ray, magnetic resonance imaging and blood test. The bone scans will determine the arthritic changes and degenerative changes in the joints, which helps to detect tumors & bone diseases and the cause of pain and inflammation. The X-ray will give the inside picture of the bones, tissues and organs. The magnetic resonance imaging provide detailed image of the structures within the body with the help of large magnets. It is best if slipped capital femoral epiphysis is determined in the early stages, so that the femur bone’s head doesn’t slip off any further. The adolescent may need to undergo a surgery along with physical therapy.

A classmate got angry at me for no reason and stomped on my foot, so it turned to the side so I was practically standing on the side of my foot closest to my baby toe.
3 years later, it still hurts. Last year I went for a checkup and my doctor said it was just tendonitis and didn’t take any x-rays or anything. When I sit down, and go to get up, sometimes it gives out and I have to steady myself. It hurts, and keeping it elavated hurts more. Sometimes it even hurts in my upper hip if I step on the ball of my foot.
My doctor said I have a high arch, but can flip flops really mess me up this bad? I’ve tried different shoes, Motrin when it hurts, and nothing seems to work.
Sometimes I find myself walking normal with my left foot but scuffing my right one. I tried wearing a bandage type brace, because no other braces fit inside my shoes and I don’t need think I need crutches. Sometimes it even feels like there’s water around my ankle.
Should I see my doctor again?

Thanks!

Where do you go when you have problems with your feet? Do you visit a Buckhead Podiatrist or a general doctor? If you’re like most people, you go to your general doctor. But a Buckhead Podiatrist may be a better option when it comes to treating your feet.

Most people never even think to visit a Buckhead Podiatrist. When something goes wrong with their body, they either try to fix it themselves or they visit a general doctor. But there are many conditions in which a Podiatrist would be the best person to visit.

Common foot and ankle problems can be easily treated by a general physician. Some can even be treated at home. Things like ingrown toenails and athlete’s foot are common ailments that don’t require the help of a Podiatrist. But your foot is more complicated than you realize. Plenty of things can go wrong that a general doctor may not be well equipped to handle.

Your general doctor may not know much about Achilles tendonitis, but it’s a common and painful foot problem that a Podiatrist would recognize right away. Have you noticed that the arch in one of your feet has fallen? Your general doctor probably can’t help you with that either. In fact, your doctor doesn’t even examine your feet during a routine exam.

This is why Podiatrists exist. They are there to help with the two body parts most often ignored – your feet. If you go to your general doctor with foot problems, they’ll probably just tell you to find a Podiatrist anyway.

Healthy feet are important. Most people don’t realize the amount of stress they put on their feet. Take a moment to think about it. Your feet take the brunt of your weight every single day. You often squeeze them into shoes that are too tight. And some people spend time walking or running on hard surfaces every day.

Be kind to your feet and find a local Buckhead Podiatrist. Don’t go limping to a general doctor for your foot care. Chances are a local Podiatrist is the best option for you.

The Next Step

Click the links below to get more information about finding a Buckhead Podiatrist. Having a convenient Buckhead Podiatrist close to home is important for both you and the care of your feet.

Basketball, football, running, tennis volleyball- repeated high stress from these high-impact sports can result in foot injuries that require professional attention to get you back in the game. Sports injuries of the feet should be discussed with a professional podiatrist. A podiatrist can treat injuries of the foot and ankle using a variety of methods, including insoles, footwear and exercises.

Among the most common sports-related injuries are stress fractures, ankle sprains, plantar fasciitis and athlete’s foot.

Stress Fractures and Ankle Sprains

A sprained ankle means you’ve torn tissue- a muscle, tendon or ligament. A sprain usually occurs following a sudden twisting movement of the foot or an awkward step on uneven surface. Pain and swelling are the best indicators that you’ve sprained an ankle. The severity of sprains vary, and to ensure full recovery, its best to see a podiatrist for a thorough examination.

Stress fractures on the other hand are usually caused by overtraining and repeated stress on a hard surface over a period of time. Most stress fractures occur in the bones in the front of the foot that attach to the toes, the metatarsal bones. The best way to treat a stress fracture is rest. This usually means taking an extended time-out- usually six to eight weeks- from your routine sport to allow the bone to heal. Failing to provide an adequate amount of time for the fracture to repair itself could result in more persistent fractures and other serious foot problems in the future. It is often difficult to differentiate between a sprained ankle and a stress fracture, and an x-ray is typically necessary.

Plantar Fasciitis

Another common and painful foot condition is plantar fasciitis- an inflammation and irritation of the band of tissue that extends from the heel along the arch of the foot. Of all athletes, runners experience plantar fasciitis the most, causing pain in the heel and arch, making running long distances extremely difficult.

Rest, ice and inflammatory medications are often the best treatments for plantar fasciitis. You can also talk to your podiatrist about specific exercises, stretches and shoe inserts that can alleviate the heel pain and help heal the inflamed tissue.

Athlete’s Foot

It’s very common for athletes to develop fungus on their feet. Athlete’s foot is the most common of these infections, and is most often contracted in warm, moist public areas, such as locker rooms, showers and pools. This foot fungus usually appears as cracked and peeling skin on the bottom of the foot or between the toes. It typically itches, and when severe, blisters can form.

Prevent athlete’s foot by always wearing shoes in public areas, and keep feet dry before putting on socks. Most of the time over-the-counter anti-fungal foot powder is enough to eliminate the infection. But in severe cases, a prescription strength medication from your podiatrist will be necessary for getting rid of this commonly recurring condition.

Foot injuries do happen- especially to individuals that actively participate in sports and physical activities. While you can’t always prevent these problems from occurring, you can prepare yourself for such injuries and talk to your podiatrist about special exercises, footwear or insoles that keep your feet and ankles strong while keeping you in the game.

What does it mean to have flat feet?

A flat foot occurs when the arch of the foot collapses. The result is that the arch is at the same level as the heels and balls of your feet. Flat feet are relatively common and most people live with them without experiencing pain or discomfort. For others, however, having flat feet causes a number of foot problems, such as foot and leg pain, calf and ankle pain, and swelling ankles. More extreme symptoms include bunions, calluses, shin splints, inflammation, tendonitis, and plantar fasciitis. To figure out if you have flat feet, dip your foot in water. Then step on a piece of colored construction paper and evaluate what you see. You will see a strip that connects the front of the foot to the heel of the foot. If the strip is half the width as the front of your foot on the paper, your arches are normal. If the strip is close to the same width as the front of the foot, you have flat feet.

Why do I have flat feet?

The tendon that forms the arch may weaken over time causing the arch to collapse. Flat feet may also be associated with pronation, a leaning inward of the anklebones toward the centerline. This means that while walking, the foot has a tendency to come down on its inner margin. A foot injury may also be the culprit of fallen foot arches. Other factors to consider are disease, age, pregnancy, and obesity, In children, fallen arches may be caused by tarsal coalition, a condition that fuses two or more of the bones in the foot together resulting in flat feet. Flat feet are normal in toddlers and infants because they are still in the early growing stages.

How can I treat flat feet?

There are two types of flat feet. If you have flexible flat feet, then there is little to no pain and there is no need for treatment. That is because flexible flat feet have some type of arch. This is a normal condition. Having inflexible feet is abnormal and is an indication of a foot disease, injury or bone deformity. Your doctor will provide several options for dealing with flat feet including ankle braces, medication, surgery, or shoe arches and inserts. Known as orthotics, shoe arches provide support by molding to the contours of your feet. If your flat feet hurt or are causing you pain, see a doctor.

Any type of physical problem that’s faced during adolescence may affect body development in future, if not treated properly. There are certain anatomic regions that may get affected by orthopedic problems in adolescents. For instance, certain body parts such as spine, ankle and knee may be affected by orthopedic problems such as slipped capital femoral epiphysis and Osgood Schlatter disease.

Osgood Schlatter disease is a result of any injury or knee over use. This cause pain and swelling in the area just below the knee and above the shinbone. This disease is very common among gymnastics, soccer, football and ballet players. Boys between the age of eleven and fifteen tend to get affected by this disease. Girls of age 8-13 are also at higher risk.

This disease is known to cause inflammation in the soft tissues and patellar tendon near spine, ankle and knee. The disease is very common is sports’ player of football, ballet, basket ball, gymnastics and soccer. They tend to suffer from Osgood Schlatter disease usually.

The basic reason why adolescents suffer from this problem the most is due to the fact that their bones grow faster in this age in comparison to tendons and muscles. This process also leads to stretching of tendons and muscles tightly.

Here are some of the most common symptoms of Osgood Schlatter disease:
a) Tenderness below knee area
b) Limping
c) Swelling of knee

The doctor will surely check the medical history of the patient and conduct various diagnostic procedures including X-ray and physical examination. The physician will thereafter decide on treatment that’s required after properly analyzing overall age, health, tolerance for medications, disease extent and medical history of the patient.

There are several treatment options such as the following in case of adolescent orthopedic problems. These treatment options include the following:
a) Elevation
b) Proper rest
c) Neoprene knee sleeve
d) Compression
e) Medications
f) Physical therapy

One of the most common adolescent orthopedic problems is slipped capital femoral epiphysis. This problem affects hip joint. Femoral head, the head or ball of the thigh bone tends to slip from the neck of the thigh bone. Due to this problem, the hip joint becomes very stiff and the condition is also very painful. The disorder of the hip is really common and can happen in both the hips and even one. The problem is more common in men as compared to women. Adolescents aged between 10 & 18 years who are more obese can get affected by this condition the most. This condition can rise over a period of time interval of just a few weeks or some years. In case, the condition resulted due to some trauma, it is known as chronic slip. Slipped capital femoral epiphysis is resulted due to radiation treatment, medications, chemotherapy and thyroid problem.

Mild, moderate and severe are three basic degrees of intensity of slipped capital femoral epiphysis.

I have had two surgerys for haglunds deformity on the same foot. In both cases the achilles tendon was not detatched to preform the operation ( thanks goodness.) Im a very active kid who still loves jump roping and hitting the gym 5 days a week. Im in really good shape but im afraid of my AT. Granite, my highschol career has been shot even though senior year is looming, I just worry every day and the pain and discomfort never seems to stop. The good news is the location of the two operations at the point of the insertion of the tendon to the heel bone are feeling great with no pain or excess swelling. The pain I am feeling now may not be directly associated with the achilles tendon, but around the tendon or infront of it in the back of the ankle. But I am desperate for help. I would love to do my best Roy Hobbs impression this spring on the baseball field but im pretty depressed about the whole thing. Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks and take care.

Overuse problems persist in youth sports
In the June 7th Sports Illustrated magazine, one of the country’s best known and respected sports orthopedic surgeons is quoted “we’re seeing kids hurt before they even have a chance to become athletes”.

About a week and half ago I started lifting and doing cardio to get in shape. I started slow and am currently doing half an hour of cardio a day, but last night I noticed some tightness in my achilles tendon. Today its a little sore, pain wise maybe a 2 out of 10, so I’ve been taking ibuprofen and icing it every 3-4 hours. I know this can be a serious injury if I continue to aggravate it, and I was just wondering when I can start exercising again. Any tips you could give would be appreciated.

Overuse problems persist
Column: In the June 7th Sports Illustrated magazine, one of the country’s best known and respected sports orthopedic surgeons is quoted “we’re seeing kids hurt before they even have a chance to become athletes”.