This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages without signing in

Achilles tendinitis

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

Achilles tendinoathy is a term used to describe an intratendinous disorder caused by overuse injury of the Achilles tendon.

  • continued overload of the tendon results in a failed healing response, which may result in degenerative changes in the tendon (1)

Two categories of the condition can be described according to the anatomical location:

  • insertional tendinopathy - at the calcaneus-Achilles tendon junction
  • noninsertional tendinopathy - 2 to 6 cm proximal to the insertion of the Achilles tendon into the calcaneus (1)

It is most commonly seen in people who participate in the physical activities such as running and jumping.

  • it has an annual incidence of 2.35 per 1,000 adults registered with a GP (2)
  • it may affect 9% of recreational runners and cause up to 5% of professional athletes to end their careers
  • an epidemiological study of 1394 nonathletes reported the condition in 5.6% of the subjects (4% insertional, 3.6% noninsertional, and 1.9% both forms)
  • insertional tendinopathy tends to occur in more active persons, while older, less active, and overweight persons tends to suffer from noninsertional tendon injury (1)

Reference:


Create an account to add page annotations

Annotations allow you to add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation. E.g. a website or number. This information will always show when you visit this page.

The content herein is provided for informational purposes and does not replace the need to apply professional clinical judgement when diagnosing or treating any medical condition. A licensed medical practitioner should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.

Connect

Copyright 2024 Oxbridge Solutions Limited, a subsidiary of OmniaMed Communications Limited. All rights reserved. Any distribution or duplication of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. Oxbridge Solutions receives funding from advertising but maintains editorial independence.