Achilles Tendonitis Rehabilitation Exercises
You can do the towel stretch right away. When the towel
stretch is too easy, try the standing calf stretch, soleus
stretch, and plantar fascia stretch. When you no longer
have sharp pain in your calf or tendon, you can do the heel
raises, step-up, and static and dynamic balance exercises.
- Towel stretch: Sit on a hard surface with your
injured leg stretched out in front of you. Loop a towel
around the ball of your foot and pull the towel toward
your body keeping your knee straight. Hold this position
for 15 to 30 seconds then relax. Repeat 3 times.
- Standing calf stretch: Facing a wall, put your
hands against the wall at about eye level. Keep the
injured leg back, the uninjured leg forward, and the
heel of your injured leg on the floor. Turn your
injured foot slightly inward (as if you were
pigeon-toed) as you slowly lean into the wall until you feel a
stretch in the back of your calf. Hold for 15 to 30 seconds.
Repeat 3 times. Do this exercise several times each day.
- Standing soleus stretch: Stand facing a wall with
your hands at about chest level. With both knees
slightly bent and the injured foot back, gently lean
into the wall until you feel a stretch in your lower
calf. Once again, angle the toes of your injured foot
slightly inward and keep your heel down on the floor.
Hold this for 15 to 30 seconds. Return to the starting
position. Repeat 3 times.
- Plantar fascia stretch: Stand with the ball of your
injured foot on a stair. Reach for the bottom step with
your heel until you feel a stretch in the arch of your foot.
Hold this position for 15 to 30 seconds and then relax.
Repeat 3 times.
- Heel raises: Balance yourself while standing behind a
chair or counter. Raise your body up onto your toes and
hold it for 5 seconds, then slowly lower yourself down.
Repeat 10 times. Do 3 sets of 10.
- Step-up: Stand with the foot of your injured leg on
a support (like a block of wood) 3 to 5 inches high.
Keep your other foot flat on the floor. Shift your
weight onto the injured leg and straighten the knee as
the uninjured leg comes off the floor. Lower your
uninjured leg to the floor slowly. Do 3 sets of 10.
- Static and dynamic balance exercises
- Place a chair next to your non-injured leg and stand
upright. (This will provide you with balance if
needed.) Stand on your injured foot. Try to raise the
arch of your foot while keeping your toes on the
floor. Try to maintain this position and balance on
your injured side for 30 seconds. This exercise can
be made more difficult by doing it on a piece of foam
or a pillow, or with your eyes closed.
- Stand in the same position as above. Keep your foot
in this position and reach forward in front of you
with your injured side's hand, allowing your knee to
bend. Repeat this 10 times while maintaining the
arch height. This exercise can be made more difficult
by reaching farther in front of you. Do 2 sets.
- Stand in the same position as above. While
maintaining your arch height, reach the injured
side's hand across your body toward the chair. The
farther you reach, the more challenging the exercise.
Do 2 sets of 10.
Written by Tammy White, M.S., P.T., for McKesson Health Solutions LLC.
This content is reviewed periodically and is subject to
change as new health information becomes available. The
information is intended to inform and educate and is not a
replacement for medical evaluation, advice, diagnosis or
treatment by a healthcare professional.
Copyright © 2003 McKesson Health Solutions LLC. All rights reserved.