Achilles Tendon Repair - Non-Surgical Techniques

The most common way to treat an Achilles tendon injury is with non-surgical methods. Your sports medicine physician or orthopedic surgeon may recommend a cast, which holds your foot in a toes-down position and allows the Achilles tendon to heal.

Your healthcare provider may recommend that you see a physiotherapist, as you’ll benefit from stretching, doing self-massage or rolling on a ball.

If you do require surgery following an Achilles tendon injury, it involves stitching and one end of the tendon onto the other so that it heals at the correct length. It’s very important that the tendons are at the right length so that the muscles that fire around those tendons can work properly.

Tendon operations are often difficult to do, and they often lead to problems with wound healing. There are a number of techniques being developed to reduce the amount of skin incision that’s required to repair the tendon.