MSK achilles tendinopathy

Achilles tendinopathy is a common inflammatory/degenerative soft tissue condition characterised by pain on the posterior aspect of the ankle in the region of the Achilles tendon. Achilles tendinopathy is common in active people or those who have recently increased their physical activity and commonly presents as a sharp pain in the posterior ankle when loading the Achilles tendon.  This can be accompanied by localised swelling of the tendon or tendon sheath as well as a feeling of stiffness in the tendon. The pathology can be categorised according to anatomical location as either insertional (at the calcaneal junction of the Achilles tendon) or non-insertional (at the mid portion of the Achilles) with insertional tendinopathy being more likely to occur in people with high physical activity such as athletes while non-insertional tendon injury tends to occur in older, less active individuals.