Achilles Pain? Watch Out for Hip Discomfort
Usually, a runner or any sportsperson or even a common man who is busy rushing with daily errands, whose Achilles tendon, the largest tendon in the body, is being used continuously, are the ones who become the prey of Achilles Tendonitis.
A confusing pain that affects the Achilles tendon, a tight band of fibrous tissue that joins the calf muscles to the heel bone (calcaneus) and runs down the back of the lower leg, which is the origin of the pain, also makes the hip joint hurt severely. Hence, it becomes often difficult to figure out what is hurting, whether it is the heel or hip?
Athletes have a lot of unstable movement patterns that increase the risk of getting their joints injured. Since our joints are connected in some way, when the Achilles tendons become inflamed due to their overuse, they can create instability in the hip joint, making it weak, stiff, or painful. The hip mechanics of any one of us can get disturbed upon putting an extra strain on our lower leg or the hip joint.
Cause of Achilles Pain That Can Affect Hip Joint
Undoubtedly runners, gymnasts, dancers, other sports players are more prone to develop Achilles tendon pain due to their quick changes of motion, other possible reasons are;
- Wearing high heel or incorrect or worn out shoes
- Having a flat foot that causes the arch of the foot to collapse, stretching the muscles and tendons
- Skipping warm up before exercise
- Tight leg muscles or tendons
- Suddenly increasing the intensity of exercises to finish something quickly
- Prematurely running or climbing on uneven surfaces
Achilles' pain increases with time. It starts slowly in the Achilles' tendons spreading all over to the leg muscles up to the hip joint. With time the hip hurts continually making it difficult to sit or move around.
Achilles Pain Home Remedies
Pain in Achilles is treatable. There are precise Achilles pain treatment methods that need no involvement of any medical expertise, are non-invasive and can be carried out by anyone at home like;
- RICE Therapy - Rest, Ice, Compress, and Elevate. Doing this to your Achilles tendon can help reduce the effect on your hips to a great extent.
- Practice Achilles tendon pain exercises - Increase strength and range of motion of your hip joint by doing any of the following;
Knee hug to hip-flexor stretch - Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and slowly bring your left knee up and towards your chest. Grab the knee with both your hands and pull it in as close as you can into your chest. Hold this stretch for 20 to 40 seconds and release. Next, kneel on your right knee slowly taking your left foot backward, giving it a good stretch. Return to start and repeat on the other side.
Spider man stretch - Take the push up position. Bend your right knee and place your right foot flat on the floor, outside your right hand, keeping your left leg straight. Return to start and repeat on the left side.
Seated Stretch - Sit upright in a chair. Bring your right ankle to rest just above your left knee, keeping your right knee open. Rest your hands on your shin, and lean your torso forward to deepen the stretch. Return to start and repeat on the left leg.
- Ultrasound Therapy - Make use of physiotherapy equipment like SONICTENS or Combo3 Plus to relax the stiffness of your hip joint and reduce the pain or any discomfort you may feel in it. For better results, you can combine ultrasound therapy with R.I.C.E method, i.e. U.R.I.C.E.
Final Thoughts
Achilles' tendonitis pain can be prevented by taking some precautionary measures like; shuffling exercises between high-impact and low-impact aerobics, wearing correct shoes that support the arch and protect the heel well and above all, taking it slows in whatever you are doing.
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