eMedicine Specialties > Sports Medicine > Foot and Ankle

Achilles Tendonitis: Follow-up

Author: Laura M Gottschlich, DO, Assistant Professor of Family and Community Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin; Consulting Staff, St. Joseph Family Medicine Residency Program
Coauthor(s): Kevin J Eerkes, MD, Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, New York University School of Medicine; Medical Team Physician, New York University Athletics; David Y Lin, MD, Fellow, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Section of Pediatrics, University of Tennessee Campbell Clinic; Evan Schwartz, MD, Director of Orthopedic Surgery, New York Medical College; Assistant Professor, St John's Queens Hospital, Department of Surgery, Albert Einstein School of Medicine
Contributor Information and Disclosures

Updated: Dec 15, 2009

Follow-up

Complications

  • Patients with long-standing Achilles tendinitis or tendinosis may have their conditions progress to complete rupture of the tendon.

Prevention

  • The keys to prevention of Achilles tendinitis are not committing a training error, introducing new activities slowly, continuing on a maintenance program of stretching and strengthening, and warming up well before subjecting the tendon to heavy loads.

Prognosis

  • The recovery time is generally weeks to months. There is a longer recovery time with tendinosis. Recurrences are common.

Education

Miscellaneous

Medicolegal Pitfalls

  • Risk of tendon rupture, especially with multiple steroid injections
 
Acknowledgments

The authors and editors of eMedicine gratefully acknowledge the contributions of previous author, Henry Marano, MD, to the development and writing of this article.



More on Achilles Tendonitis

Overview: Achilles Tendonitis
Differential Diagnoses & Workup: Achilles Tendonitis
Treatment & Medication: Achilles Tendonitis
Follow-up: Achilles Tendonitis
References
Further Reading
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References

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  3. Wheaton MT, Molnar TJ. Overuse injuries of the lower extremities. In: Griffin, LY, ed. Orthopaedic Knowledge Update: Sports Medicine. Rosemont, Ill: American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons; 1994:225-7.

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Further Reading

Related eMedicine Topics

Clinical Trials
 Clinical Guidelines

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Keywords

Achilles tendonitis, Achilles tendinitis, Achilles heel, Achilles injury, Achilles paratenonitis, Achilles peritenonitis, Achilles paratendinitis, Achilles peritendinitis, Achilles tendinosis, Achilles rupture, Achilles tendo calcaneitis

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Contributor Information and Disclosures

Author

Laura M Gottschlich, DO, Assistant Professor of Family and Community Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin; Consulting Staff, St. Joseph Family Medicine Residency Program
Laura M Gottschlich, DO is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Family Physicians, American College of Sports Medicine, American Medical Association, American Medical Society for Sports Medicine, and American Osteopathic Association
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Coauthor(s)

Kevin J Eerkes, MD, Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, New York University School of Medicine; Medical Team Physician, New York University Athletics
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

David Y Lin, MD, Fellow, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Section of Pediatrics, University of Tennessee Campbell Clinic
David Y Lin, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Evan Schwartz, MD, Director of Orthopedic Surgery, New York Medical College; Assistant Professor, St John's Queens Hospital, Department of Surgery, Albert Einstein School of Medicine
Evan Schwartz, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Medical Editor

David T Bernhardt, MD, Director of Adolescent and Sports Medicine Fellowship, Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics, University of Wisconsin
David T Bernhardt, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Sports Medicine, and American Medical Society for Sports Medicine
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Pharmacy Editor

Francisco Talavera, PharmD, PhD, Senior Pharmacy Editor, eMedicine
Disclosure: eMedicine Salary Employment

CME Editor

Jon B Whitehurst, MD, Clinical Instructor of Surgery, University of Illinois College of Medicine; Partner and Executive Board Member, Rockford Orthopedic Associates; Orthopedic Chairman, Rockford Memorial Hospital
Jon B Whitehurst, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine, and Arthroscopy Association of North America
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Chief Editor

Sherwin SW Ho, MD, Associate Professor, Department of Surgery, Section of Orthopedic Surgery and Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Chicago
Sherwin SW Ho, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine, and Arthroscopy Association of North America
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

 
 
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