"Achilles Tendons"

I suggest that you go to the doctor. Pain that lasts more than a few days is concerning, and the longer you wait the more problems you will have. You cannot possibly diagnose or expect us to diagnose you and offer treatment suggestions without a full history and physical exam.

Good luck. And quit being stubborn. Go to the doctor.

They're not torn, they're inflamed. If they were torn you wouldn't be walking. Inflammation can come from anything...medication, diet, being overweight, wearing bad shoes, hormonal changes, etc.

I had achilles tendonitis and plantar fasciitis at the same time a few years ago. I put off treatment for months and just when I resigned myself to making an appointment to be checked out , I just happened to ask for new running shoes for Christmas and got fitted for them at a running shoe store (Marathon Sports). Turns out that my other running shoes were 1/2 a size too small and the wrong structure. The right shoes provided almost immediate relief from the pain and even without the shoes on (barefoot, in sandals, dress shoes, heels, etc.) I haven't had a recurrence of the pain.

You should be seen by a doc to make sure that you're not at risk for a tear due to strain or inflammation, and she or he can recommend stretches and other remedies. You may need an anti-inflammatory course of ibuprofen for a while to get the inflammation to calm down and give the tendon time to heal, or you can try some natural anti-inflammatories if you know someone who you trust who can recommend the right products.

It would seem to me that they're inflamed. Cold is good for this. Cold reduces inflammation where heat brings in blood to start the healing process and relax muscles. So cold or ice will help with the pain. Heat will help loosen the muscles around the tendon but it might make the pain worse.

Motrin too, and all the other medications that are the same medication as Motrin/Ibuprofen.

When I have pain around the back of my foot where this tendon attaches to the heel bone I do small stretches and it does help.

I stand with my feet on the edge of a step, facing up, then slowly and gently push my heels toward the next lower step. This specifically stretches out that tendon. You can do some squats where you stand like you're going to do the splits, one leg forward and one back style, then stretch out the tendons by gently stretching one leg/foot joint then the other.

No one can tell you if they are torn without a check up. It's unusual to tear both at once - I'm in family of athletes and work extensively with sport professionals, and I've never seen that (certainly without you knowing). I don't think weight alone is a factor, but overuse and excessive stress/tension can be a precipitating factor

Don't massage if you don't know what you're doing - that can increase the inflammation.

There is a natural anti-inflammatory that you can take, and there are also patented products for muscle and joint repair that help with tendons and ligaments as well. Stretching and professional massage can help as well, but it's important to have a professional evaluate (either through diagnostic tests or a good MsT. feeling around in there, gently, to identify what is strained), Don't just go to a spa-type place for a massage - you need more than that. A good sports physician, podiatrist or other lower-extremity expert can also do an X-ray and other tests.

Continuing to ignore it or self-massage it while still walking around is not going to help.

If you'd torn it, you would not be walking on it.
Achilles pain is typically the result of either the plantar tendon (bottom of your foot, connects right underneath the heel and runs up to the big toe) being tight, or the calves being too tight.

Try massaging and stretching those, rather than the achillies itself.
Chances are you'll see an improvement pretty quickly.

I wouldn't mess around with this. It might just be overuse, but if you have taken any new medication or antibiotics, it can sometimes cause achilles issues. I would probably head in to the doc sooner than later to get it checked out.

They are just inflamed. Take ibuprofen. Wearing shoes like Dansko's can give you relief because they have a heel, the heel on the shoe shorten's the calf muscle which connects to the achilles tendon...the achilles tendon doesn't have to stretch as much and you'll get some relief. Once your tendons are feeling better, you should start stretching your calves and tendons gently on a regular basis, just google some stretches to do. You should also avoid wearing shoes like Dansko's all the time, wear flats as well...shoes with heels can cause your tendons to shorten which will then lead to pain when you're not in heels.

Well, you'd know it if they were torn because you would be in excruciating pain. I had the same problem as you a while back. Both my achilles were tender and sore, and walking after being down was painful. I realized I had shoes that I wore all the time that were too high in the back. I now have to make sure I buy shoes that do not go up too high on the back of my heels and achilles area. I did very gentle stretching to help heal. I will say it takes a long time for achilles to heal completely, in my experience. I think the idea of getting some sports or therapeutic massage would help too (at least get a doctor to check you out and recommend a therapy first). Good luck to you!

One thing that helped me was to freeze a plastic bottle of water. Take a little bit out of a 16 ounce bottle and freeze then you can roll yout foot over it.

Ibuprofen for inflammation.

There is such a thing as Achilles tendonitis. See the doctor about it.

You have tendonitis (inflammation of the tendon). Take an anti-inflammatory like Motrin/ibuprofen/Advil around the clock for several days. You'll need a theraputic dose, so more than the 200mg it lists on the bottle... you don't have a headache. Call your doctor and ask, but 600mg every 8 hours is fairly typical.

Ice your ankles for about 20 minutes a couple of times a day if you can.

Once the inflammation settles down, stretch the area by doing calf stretches.

Good luck.

hi, i've had many foot issues myself, ranging from neuromas, bone spurs to now, plantar's facitis.. there is a podiatrist ray mcclanahan out of portland oregon, whom on youtube via "correct toes" or his website, the nw foot and ankle clinic, and he posts FREE videos on all sorts of foot problems. the videos and articles have been life changing for me, in that prior to finding his videos, i had gone to two diff podistarist and neither were very helpful.. for the most part, they said to take ibuprofen.. but NEITHER talked about the cause of the problems or how improper shoe wear plays a huge role.. and I am not just talking about high heels.. i am talking about some brand of sneakers which can also be debilitating to the foot... once I watched the videos about footcare, I began to understand why my feet hurt!!! and now, since adhering to Dr Ray's advice, I wear different shoes and............. my neuromas (inflamed nerves) which plagued me for years, no longer hurt.. I am still wking on getting rid of the plantar's facisitis.. BUT if you feel pain in your achilles.. then it is likely to some degree that one, your leg muscles in particular calf muscles are too tight AND your feet... which in turn, the tightness of the foot can lead to other problems.. like plantar's facitis.. check out this guys website, you won't be disappointed. it's packed full of GREAT info.. I love his videos because they are short, informative and to the point..

good luck