Pain on the tendon above your heel with the first steps in the morning, easing as you warm up and returning after a run? Achilles tendinopathy is the runner’s occupational disease — but appears just as often in active people aged 40–60 who simply increased activity too fast.
What is Achilles tendinitis?
The Achilles — the body’s strongest tendon — links your calves to your heel and absorbs forces of several times body weight when running. Under overload its fibres develop micro-damage and degeneration (tendinopathy). Two forms: mid-portion (most common) and insertional (at the heel attachment) — treated slightly differently.
Common symptoms
Morning pain and stiffness on the tendon, pain at the start of activity easing with warm-up and returning after, palpable tenderness and thickening of the tendon, pain rising onto tiptoes.
Common causes
Sudden increases in running or walking volume, stiff and weak calves, abrupt footwear changes (including switching to flat shoes), hard or sloped ground, excess weight and long breaks followed by intense resumption.
Can it be treated without surgery?
Yes — the best-evidenced protocol is progressive loading (eccentric and isometric calf work), not total rest and not corticosteroid injections (contraindicated at the Achilles — rupture risk). Surgery is the exception for refractory cases.
How we treat Achilles tendinitis at Medicine Park
We establish the form (mid-portion vs insertional) and stage, then build the right loading programme, adding manual therapy for the calf and ankle, dry needling, footwear adjustments and a walking/running plan that maintains fitness without feeding the lesion. All in English.
How long does recovery take?
Recent cases: 6–8 weeks. Chronic ones: 3–6 months of consistent work — the Achilles rebuilds slowly but reliably, in clear measured steps.
When to seek help
If the tendon has hurt with every activity for over two weeks, neither push through it nor abandon it to rest. Your first assessment at Medicine Park is free. Sudden violent pain like a “whip strike” suggests rupture — urgent review.
