Achilles tendinitis

Last reviewed 07/2021

Achilles tendinoathy is a term used to describe an intratendinous disorder caused by overuse injury of the Achilles tendon.

• continued overload of the tendon  results in a failed healing response, which may result in degenerative changes in the tendon (1)

Two categories of the condition can be described according to the anatomical location:

• insertional  tendinopathy - at the calcaneus-Achilles tendon junction
• noninsertional  tendinopathy - 2 to 6 cm proximal to the insertion of the Achilles tendon into the calcaneus (1)

It is most commonly seen in people who participate in the physical activities such as running and jumping.

• it has an annual incidence of 2.35 per 1,000 adults registered with a GP (2)
• it may affect 9% of recreational runners and cause up to 5% of professional athletes to end their careers
• an epidemiological study of 1394 nonathletes reported the condition in 5.6% of the subjects (4% insertional, 3.6% noninsertional, and 1.9% both forms)
• insertional tendinopathy tends to occur in more active persons, while older, less active, and overweight persons tends to suffer from noninsertional tendon injury (1)

Reference:

• (1) Li HY, Hua YH.Achilles Tendinopathy: Current Concepts about the Basic Science and Clinical Treatments. Biomed Res Int. 2016;2016:6492597. 
• (2) de Jonge S et al. Incidence of midportion Achilles tendinopathy in the general population. Br J Sports Med. 2011;45(13):1026-8.