While browsing websites in search of information about Achilles tendon injuries, I came across your article…

Namely, I have exactly the symptoms you described (pain at the attachment of the Achilles to the heel), clearly without any “cracking” or thickening of the tendon. I am involved in recreational running (more trails than roads), and the pain began to occur somewhere in May. By the end of June, I stopped any training and went for physical therapy + rest throughout the summer (only light swimming and bathing). After all that, I see no improvement. For the past month, I’ve been running again twice a week (not too much, about 5-6km per session), and the pain is always present, but no worse than during the period without training. The long-term plan is to start with more intense training and preparations for races of ultra distances over 50km.

Your article somehow gives me hope that I have discovered the essence of the problem, I just don’t know how to solve it.

At the last professional seminar on applied or “functional” anatomy, one of the leading European authorities in the field, when asked how far the Achilles tendon extends, coolly responded: “If you are referring to the right Achilles tendon, then it begins in the vicinity of the left shoulder.”

In this column, we don’t have enough time for a detailed explanation of this statement. Suffice it to say that the forces generated during running partially extend all the way from the back muscles, through the hips into the lower extremity via intertwined connective structures. This means that, in principle, a problem in the back could be the primary cause of Achilles tendon pain, and vice versa. However, it is important to understand the significant difference between “could be” and “actually is”. The former is a question before examination, and the latter is a statement after examination and any necessary diagnostics.

All my texts are not a substitute for appropriate examination and therapy but rather inspiration and encouragement to seek them out.