Achilles Tendonitis Stretching Exercises: When To Resist the Urge (And Advice) To Do These

Stretching to get rid of Achilles tendon pain feels natural for many people, but new research indicates that this should be avoided in the early stages of Achilles tendonitis.Sports physio Alison explains how the conventional wisdom around Achilles stretching exercises has been debunked lately and what you should do instead.🌟 Need help with an Achilles-related injury? You’re welcome to consult one of the physio team at Treat My Achilles via video call for an assessment and a tailored treatment plan.👉 Put heel-lifting inserts like these into your shoes to reduce the general stretch on your injured Achilles tendon. If you buy anything via this link, we might get a small commission at no extra cost to you.🔎 You can easily browse all the videos we have on this topic here.📽️ Other videos mentioned in this one:➡️ Foam Rolling & Massage For Achilles Tendonitis - Dos & Don’ts➡️ Using a Massage Gun for Achilles Tendonitis➡️ Dry Needling for Achilles Tendonitis➡️ Achilles Warm-up Before Running➡️ Achilles Warm-up for Pickleball➡️ How to Adapt Yoga for Achilles Tendonitis➡️ Adapting Pilates For Achilles Tendonitis➡️ Achilles or Heel Pain when Doing a Squat🧾 Article: Stretching for warm-ups and cool-downs🔎 Here is our library with resources on Achilles tendonitis/tendinopathy📚 Chapters in this episode:00:00:00 Introduction00:00:39 What is a stretch?00:02:26 Achilles tendonitis: When not to stretch00:03:47 Insertional Achilles tendonitis00:05:01 Why the calves feel tight with Achilles tendonitis00:06:01 How relieve calf tightness00:06:23 The bigger pictureReferences:Cook, Jillianne Leigh, and Craig Purdam. "Is compressive load a factor in the development of tendinopathy?." Br J Sports Med 46.3 (2012): 163-168.Docking S, Samiric T, Scase E, Purdam C, Cook J. Relationship between compressive loading and ECM changes in tendons. Muscles Ligaments Tendons J. 2013;3(1):7–11. Published 2013 May 21. doi:10.11138/mltj/2013.3.1.007Pringels, L. et al. (2025) "Effectiveness of reducing tendon compression in the rehabilitation of insertional Achilles tendinopathy: a randomised clinical trial" British Journal of Sports Medicine. Published Online First: 26 February 2025.