How To Practice Pressing Techniques For The Achilles Tendon Video

Massaging the Achilles tendon is great for treating Achilles tendonitis. Learn how to massage the Achilles tendon in this sports injury and massage video.

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Massage back and forth
Knead the Achilles tendon up and down
Massage toward to heart

About this Author

Russ Paine is a well-known physical therapist with the Roger Clemens Institute at Memorial Hospital. After getting his degree in physical therapy from Texas Women's University, he trained for several years under David Drez, MD, a renowned surgeon and sports medicine specialist. He has been a rehab consultant for the Houston Rockets, Houston Astros and NASA. He has given hundreds of presentations in his career in the US and abroad, and has published many chapters in text books and papers in peer review journals.

RUSS PAINE: In this segment, we are going to talk about how to massage your Achilles tendon, which could be a result--you need to massage your tendon, it could be a result of Achilles tendinitis. Achilles tendinitis occurs typically in the middle portion of the Achilles as it attaches down towards your heel. And again, Achilles tendinitis can be a chronic overload issue with a runner. So Achilles tendinitis is treated with orthotics. A heel lift sometimes can help take the pressure off the Achilles tendon. Ultrasound, iontophoreses, which is an electro-stimulator that delivers some cortisone through your skin, is helpful for this also. But to massage your Achilles tendon, there are a couple of things you can do. One is what we call a cross-friction massage, so that you can massage back and forth in this direction. So you are massaging really perpendicular to the long axis of the Achilles tendon. And the other thing you can do is just knead the Achilles tendon because it actually has a sheath that has fluid in it, and you can actually move that fluid out of the Achilles tendon. Let us see you do that, Ross. Just do a cross-friction massage. Just do that. That is a kneading massage. This is a cross-friction massage for chronic Achilles tendinitis, which may be helpful. And then show the kneading one. And you always--when you do any massage, you always want to massage towards the heart. Because that is the way you get rid of inflammation. It's through your venous circulation. Your veins don't have valves like your arteries do, so they require little assistance to get rid of the inflammation. Another thing that can be helpful for this is an ice massage or an ice cup. You start from a cup full of water, put it in the freezer, tear off the top portion of that ice cup. And it really works well for Achilles tendinitis for self-treatment.

How to Practice Pressing Techniques for the Achilles Tendon Video

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