Managing Achilles Tendon Injuries Achilles tendon pain is a common running injury that affects the lower calf/heel location. Use practical sports training methods, such as wearing the right shoes and stretching before activities. Essentially all of the force generated when you toe off" the ground during running is transmitted by the Achilles, and this force can be as much as 3 times your body weight. My conditioning was back on track and I began playing full field soccer again without any heel pain. Ice: Use an ice pack wrapped in a towel or a cold compress to your tendon for 15 minutes or more after you work out or if you feel discomfort in the tendon. The Achilles tendon is the thickest and greatest tendon in your body, linking your calf muscles to the back of your heel. The tendon will be really tender on palpation or pushing in on the achilles tendon or squeezing it from the sides. Normally, the closer a shoe is to feeling and looking like a running shoe," the much better it is for your foot. The night splint definitely helped, but what finally got me back on the streets was ART treatment. Being out of shape or not heating up before exercising may likewise cause Achilles tendon problems. Try a pair of prescription orthotic inserts for your shoes if your physician believes it will assist. Achilles tendonitis usually starts off as a dull tightness in the tendon, which progressively goes away as the location gets warmed up. It might worsen with faster running, uphill running, or when wearing spikes and other low-heeled running shoes. After about 4 or five weeks the results became noticeable that I was moving with a large amount less discomfort in my heel.