Starting a New Fitness Routine? How to Protect Your Achilles Tendon

In your new workout routine, doing too much too fast can lead to serious Achilles tendon issues. Avoid this painful problem with this guidance. Keep learning how to protect your Achilles tendon.

Your Achilles tendon is the strongest, thickest tendon you have, and it runs from your calf to your heel. As a result, it plays a crucial role in propelling you throughout your day.

Just like its namesake, though, the Achilles isn’t impervious to injury. In fact, each year, more than 6,000 people hurt this tendon. Sometimes, it even ruptures. Because the Achilles tendon plays such a big part in your movement, any form of injury here can be painful and debilitating.

At Rogers Foot & Ankle Institute, our team has extensive experience treating Achilles tendon injuries. Ideally, we’d like to help you avoid a trip to our offices in American Fork or Saratoga Springs, Utah. With that in mind, we want to offer some guidance.

New year, new injury risk

A lot of people resolve to get more active in the new year. If you’re among them, we applaud you. More physical activity reduces your risk for a broad range of physical and mental health issues.

You shouldn’t dive into your new fitness regimen too intensely, though. Some of the leading risk factors for Achilles tendon injury include starting a new sport and rapidly increasing your level of activity.

Your Achilles needs time to get stronger so it can take on the new strain of your chosen activity. The key to strengthening this tendon is progressive loading. Start small, then gradually build up.

For example, if you’re taking up running, we recommend following the 10% rule. If you’re currently running one mile, move up to running 1.1 miles next week. Gradually build from there.

Or if you’re starting a new workout class, don’t commit to five days a week right away. Start with a couple of days a week, then move up to three. Easing your body in gives your Achilles tendon time to adapt to the increasing strain that comes with your new fitness routine.

What to do if you feel Achilles tendon pain

As you scale your workout up, pay attention to how your Achilles tendon feels. Warning signs that it’s encountering a problem include:

Pain in the upper back part of your heel
Pain or stiffness in your calf
Swelling in your calf or upper heel
Weakness in the affected leg

Oftentimes, Achilles tendon pain is worse after exercise or when you’re walking up stairs or up a hill.

If any of that sounds familiar, visit our team. We evaluate your Achilles to see if you’re dealing with inflammation (Achilles tendonitis), a tendon tear, or something else. If your Achilles tendon is injured, we develop a conservative, evidence-based plan to help it heal.

This way, you can get back to your new fitness routine as speedily and safely as possible.