The moment you take a step, Achilles pain greets you with a sharp sting. At times the pain is unbearable. When you consult a doctor he probably calls it Achilles Tendonitis; a medical condition where the Achilles tendon that connects your heel to the calf muscles is strained. At first you feel a slight tenderness along the tendon, which gradually increases to a sharp burning sensation on the back of the heel. In some cases, the affected region swells. Thus, the moment you feel an irritation, don’t wait. Simply start your special Achilles exercises!
Calf stretch: This primarily is a strain relief exercise taking the strain away from the tendon. Place your hands on the wall you are facing. Make sure to keep them at eye level. Take a large step while keeping your back leg heel firmly on the ground, slightly pigeon-toed. Slowly transfer your weight on the wall to feel the stretch on your back leg. Hold still for 20 seconds. Do the same with the other leg. Repeat 3-4 times.
Towel-stretch: Simplest and highly effective. All you need to do is spread one leg while keeping the other leg folded. Wrap a towel around the spread foot and stretch towards yourself, not bending the knee. Give 30 sec to each leg and do it for 3-4 times.
Heel hoist: A must for everybody irrespective of having tendon sprain. Support yourself holding the wall. Now raise yourself on both the toes. Count 10 and then relax. Make sure not to hurry while coming down. Repeat 5-10 times. You can also do the relaxing bit one leg at a time.
Leg raise: Lie down with your injured side on top. Keep the legs together and tighten the quadriceps muscles of both legs. Now lift the paining leg up to make an angle of 45 degrees with the resting leg. Legs shouldn’t bend at the knees. Bring the leg down at the count of 20. Repeat 5 times.
There are various other exercises for Achilles pain like step-ups and quadriceps stretch. In the former, one has to stand on a stair placing the injured foot bent at the knee and take a step with the uninjured one. In quadriceps stretch, you have to hold a wall, bend your injured leg at the knee and make the foot touch your buttocks taking the help of your hand. It is advisable to practice these even when there’s no Achilles pain as they help the pain stay at bay.