Your Achilles is a major tendon in your ankle that acts as a spring to keep your gastrocnemius and soleus muscles stable. You can prevent long-term injuries in your Achilles tendon by maintaining strong ankles and not bulking your calf muscles up to the point where they pull on your Achilles tendon, causing long-term tears. Consult your doctor before trying any new exercise and discontinue any exercise that causes new, unusual or intense pain.
Resistance Band Plantarflexion
The resistance band plantarflexion exercise is a gentle exercise that uses a resistance band to flex and stretch your ankle muscles. Sit on a chair or flat surface. Tie the middle of a resistance band around the forefront of your foot. Grasp both ends and pull your foot upward. Keep your toes pointed forward. Perform two sets of 10 repetitions once a day and build up to three sets of 20 repetitions.
Seated Calf Raise
The seated calf raise exercise can be done in your own home. Sit on a chair with both feet flat on the floor. Raise your legs using your toes, pushing them firmly into the ground. Focus on the strength of your toes and balancing on your metatarsal area. The metatarsals are the long bones in your feet behind your toes. Hold this position briefly and lower your heels back to the ground. Perform one set of 10 to 15 repetitions. Increase the workout to a maximum of three sets of 20 repetitions as you build strength. Avoid overexercising and apply cold therapy to your Achilles tendon after exercise.
Heel Cord Stretch
The heel cord stretch exercise stretches your Achilles tendon and ankle muscles that surround it using your own body weight. Stand up straight about 12 inches from a wall and place both palms on the wall, fully extending your arms. Keep your feet together and your arms fully extended and straight out in front of your body. Lean into the wall, pushing into it with your palms and bending your elbows, until you feel tension in the ankle stretch. Hold this position for five seconds. Return to starting position and repeat. Keep your back straight throughout the exercise. Perform one set of 10 repetitions.
Inner-tube Stretch
The inner-tube stretch exercise uses a resistance band to stretch both ankles. Sit on a soft, elevated surface such as a bed and tie a resistance band so it loops around the forefront of both feet and the area slightly above your ankle. Let you feet hang from the edge and stretch your toes apart with your foot muscles as far as possible. Hold for five seconds and return to starting position. Perform one set of 10 repetitions, increasing the amount of sets and repetitions each day.
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