Achilles tendon and physical therapy

You have suffered from an Achilles tendon rupture then you can know how painful this injury can be

An Achilles tendon rupture can even prevent you from walking normally and performing your daily basis activities such as going to the washroom

You may benefit from physical therapy for treating your tendon rupture. The goals involved are increasing the range of motion, strengthening your foot and ankle muscles, and also improving the overall pain. Your therapist may use several modalities such as heat or ice massage, and exercises as well. The exercises are the main focus of a physical therapist for treating Achilles tendon.
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Exercises can be started after removing the cast. we can say more appropriately after 4 to 6 weeks of tendon rupture exercises. Early exercises can lead to re-rupture of the tendon so appropriate time is given for healing tendon some of the exercises which are very beneficial for the Achilles tendon are

Range of motion

Most of the time the exercises for rehabilitation of Achilles rupture starts from the gentle range of motion exercises these exercises can be passive range of motion to active range of motion exercises some of the exercises are

• Passive range of motion of ankle in all the directions
• Ankle pumps

•  Active Range of motion in all directions
• Ankle alphabets
• Exercises must be done in a slow and controlled way if you feel any pain immediately ask your physical therapist about it
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Strengthening and stretching exercises

Once you have regained some range of motion around your ankle you can focus on increasing the strength and flexibility of your muscles. strength can be increased by putting stress on your tendon it can also help to decrease the risk of future injuries some of the exercises which can strengthen tendon are 

• Ankle exercises with the help of a resistance band
• Hand on  resistance exercises
• Calf elevation
• Short arc quad
• straight leg raises 

And the exercises which can help to increase the stability are

• Stretch
• Toe to wall stretch
• Heel drop
• Towel calf stretch

In addition to all of these exercises, other exercises such as Balance and Proprioception, Plyometrics, and aerobic exercises are practiced these exercises play a  very major role in the rehabilitation process by the help of these exercises your tendon weakness can be reduced your range of motion is increased and pain and swelling are decreased significantly. Make sure that you perform all the exercises daily as prescribed by your physical therapist.