Achilles Tendinopathy in Adelaide
At SAI Health Adelaide, we often see confusion around the terms tendonitis, tendinosis, and tendinopathy. Understanding these common tendon conditions can help people better manage pain, recovery, and movement.
Tendonitis (or tendinitis) refers to inflammation of a tendon. However, in many long-term tendon pain cases, inflammation is not always the main cause of discomfort. People experiencing shoulder pain, knee pain, Achilles pain, or sports injuries in Adelaide are often dealing with tendon overload rather than simple inflammation.
Tendinosis describes small tears and tissue changes within or around the tendon caused by repetitive strain or overuse. This can happen due to poor recovery, repetitive movement, posture-related stress, sports activity, or long periods of physical load without adequate rest.
Tendinopathy is a broader term commonly used by Physiotherapists and Exercise Physiologists in Adelaide to describe tendon injuries involving degeneration, irritation, or failed healing of the tendon over time. Tendinopathy may affect mobility, strength, flexibility, and overall movement quality if left unmanaged.
At SAI Health, our Adelaide Physiotherapy and Exercise Physiology team supports people with tendon pain, sports injuries, mobility concerns, and movement-related conditions through personalised rehabilitation, strengthening exercises, and recovery-focused care.
Early movement support, guided exercise, and proper recovery strategies may help improve tendon health and reduce ongoing discomfort.
What causes achillies tendinopathy?
Achillies tendinopathy usually occurs due to increased training volume or intensity (load).It is common especially to recreational runners, and any activity which involves repetitive action.
Common symptoms:
- Symptoms located posterior to the heel and proximal to calf
- Gradual development of symptoms
- Increased pain and stiffness the next morning after increasing activity level
- Pain diminishes with walking or applying heat(eg: hot showers)
- Pain diminishes during training and will reappear several hours after
- The achillies tendon becomes tender, red, warm, or a swollen lump may be present if there is inflammation
What can you do to help?
- Massage, foam rollingand stretching
- Orthotic treatment(change of shoe, correction of malalignment)
- Soft tissue mobilisation
- Exercise forstrengthening and increase loading tolerances
- Load modification