Achilles tendon problems – causes and treatment: new perspectives

Achilles tendon problems – causes and treatment: new perspectives

The Achilles tendon is the thickest and strongest tendon in the human body and connects the calf muscles to the heel bone. Their main task is to lower the foot
as well as a slight internal rotation. It cushions every step and can provide enormous jumping power. The longer the Achilles tendon, the more tension can be converted into bounce.

Sports triggers for Achilles tendon ruptures

For example, look at high jumpers. You will notice with the best in the world that the tendon appears very long compared to the belly of the muscle. It can withstand up to 12 times your body weight in load and should function smoothly for 100-120 years without degenerating, inflaming or cracking. Nevertheless, there are many people who complain about pain, swelling and overheating in the Achilles tendons or at their insertion. Why is that? And what can you do about it?

It's a Saturday morning, a 50-year-old man, well established in his career, wants to do sports with his friends for the first time in many years and arranges to meet them to play badminton. He secretly wants to show his friends that he is still fit and that there is still a young tiger inside him. With the first sudden movement there is a loud bang in the hall and the man feels a sudden blow in his calf. An Achilles tendon rupture didn't really happen because of the short load, it already had a problem with its structure. The short stress just finished her off.

Warning signs before the Achilles tendon tears

Before an Achilles tendon tears, there are usually warning signs years in advance:
Recurring irritation, pain in the heel bone, swelling, etc. These are all signs of an inflammatory reaction in the tendon. Inflammation consists of the following characteristics: swelling, warmth, pain and impaired function. But why does an Achilles tendon become inflamed, and what is inflammation anyway? To do this you have to look at the spine and the pelvis, because this is where the reason for the misery lies but also where the problem can be solved.

The Achilles tendon, like all other tissues, is dependent on nerve signals. Nerves control metabolism everywhere in the body, including in the Achilles tendon. You know the Achilles tendon reflex from your doctor's visit. The doctor taps the tendon with the hammer and the calf muscle twitches. This reflex is made possible by the uppermost root on the coccyx, which emerges from the right and left of the pelvis and supplies, among other things, the Achilles tendon. But not only motor and sensory functions, but also vegetative commands, i.e. metabolism, are transmitted by this root.

Nervous system, bones & metabolism

This process works well when the structure of the spine and pelvis is good. But when the structure of the bones changes, the function of the nervous system within them also changes, so that peripheral metabolic functions no longer function optimally. When something like this happens, the body tries to transport more nutrients to the area. This process means more blood is delivered. More blood means: overheating and swelling. Swelling of tissue hurts, function decreases.

So we have a classic inflammation, which turns out to be the body's reaction to tissue damage. How could the body heal other tissues if not through more nutrients? That's what inflammation is for, everywhere in the body. Anti-inflammatory agents are then typically recommended and prescribed. This will make this one
Mechanism is contained, the symptoms subside, but so does the healing reaction. An example:

These two x-rays show a male pelvis. This 45-year-old man reported left Achilles tendon problems that had not previously been influenced by standard therapies. On the left picture you can see a pelvic tilt of almost 1cm. This means mechanical stress on the nervous system contained in the bony structure, in this case particularly the first coccygeal nerve root. Through a series of chiropractic treatments, the pelvic tilt could be almost eliminated after about 2 months without any additional aids, which was accompanied by the mechanical stress on the nerves decreasing and the symptoms disappearing (after about 2-3 weeks) because the nerve signals to the Achilles tendon were running smoothly again and the tissue was healing.

Article by Dr. med. D. Matthias Meier

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