The achilles tendon is popular right now with the recent injury of Tyrese Haliburton in the NBA finals.

I discussed his initial game 5 calf injury here. i suggested that he shouldn’t play in the the next games.

In game 7, he tore his achilles. Here is my reaction to this injury.

My big take away from this public injury is twofold

You’re only as good as how far you’ve rehabbed your injury (no pain does not equal recovery)
We should use this as an oportunity to discuss the advancements in Tendon Rehab

Tendon Rehab

What I wish everyone knew, was that healing tendons involves apply the right load/strengthening to the tendon.

This can be a difficult process to individualize, but once you find the right exercise, it can progress well. Remember, the difference between poison and medicine…is dosage.

Also stretching doesn’t heal it. In fact it usually makes it worse in the long term.

An Example

There are 3 phases of tendon rehab

Capacity and Tendon Stiffness
Force Generation and Absorption
Stretch Shorten Cycle and Tendon Compliance

This is based off of the work of tendon expert, Peter Malliaras.

The video above demonstrates a great phase 1 entry point to reduce pain and start building tendon stiffness.

If you have any questions, give us a call.