Mike Conley - Achilles tendonitis - The Texas Foot Specialists
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Memphis Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley is just one of the NBA players who recently suffered from a foot injury. His condition was later diagnosed as Achilles tendonitis. Mike Conley missed three games due to the pain in his left foot. After re-evaluation by team doctors, the decision was made not to allow Conley to return to the game. But what is Achilles tendonitis?
Achilles tendonitis is the inflammation of your Achilles' tendon. It causes pain along the along the back of your leg near the heel. It occurs when the tendon of your heel become swollen and painful. Consult a podiatrist any signs of chronic foot pain. Dr. Bruce Miller and Dr. Gregory Mangum are Podiatrist who specializes in helping people with Achilles tendonitis.
Any repeated activity that strains the Achilles tendon can contribute to this problem. Achilles tendonitis is likely to occur if:
- Exercising without a proper warm up
- Your calf muscles are very tight
- Running on hard surface such as concrete
- Running too often
- Jumping a lot
- Not wearing shoes that give your feet proper support
- Your foot suddenly turns in or out and
- Wearing high heels daily
Symptoms of Achilles tendonitis are:
- Pain above your heel and the back of your foot especially when stretching
- Swelling
- Tenderness
- Snapping or popping noise during the injury
- Stiffness
- Difficulty in flexing your foot or pointing your noise
Your doctor might suggest a variety of treatments available for Achilles Tendonitis:
- Reducing your physical activity
- Switching to a different, less strenuous sport
- Elevating your foot to lessen the swelling
- Wearing a brace or elastic bandage to prevent movement
- Getting steroid injections
- Stretching and strengthening the calf muscles
- Applying ice in the area after an exercise or in pain
- Going to physical therapy
- Using anti-inflammatory medications for a limited time
There are times that the conservative treatments are not effective. In these cases, surgery is necessary to repair the Achilles' tendon.
Here are some tips on how to lower the risk of Achilles Tendonitis:
- Stretch your calf muscles every morning to improve your agility.
- Ease into a new exercise routine that will gradually intensify your physical activity.
- Combine a low and high impact exercises to reduce constant stress on your tendons.
- Choose a shoe that has arch support and proper cushioning.
- Gradually reduce the heel size of your shoes to allow the tendons to slowly stretch and increase its range of motion.
The Texas Foot Specialists located in Sugar Land, Pasadena and Houston, we specialize in helping people with Achilles tendonitis. To schedule an appointment call Sugar Land (281) 242-4448, Pasadena (281) 991-0600 and Houston (713) 664-6677.