Medical history and physical exam for Achilles tendon problems

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Medical history and physical exam for Achilles tendon problems

Medical history

Your health professional will ask you questions about your past medical history, including injuries to your Achilles tendon. These questions may include the following:

• Did your pain start gradually or suddenly?
• If gradually, what sports or activities are you involved in? How often do you do these activities? Does changing how you do the activity affect the pain?
• Have you injured your Achilles tendon before? How was it treated?
• Have you had any corticosteroid injections in your Achilles tendon?
• If your pain started suddenly, what were you doing when you were injured?
• Did you feel or hear a pop at the time of injury?
• Could you walk after the injury?

Physical exam

During a physical exam, your health professional will thoroughly examine you, including:

• Checking and comparing both legs to see what is normal motion and how the injury (tendinopathy or rupture ) has affected your lower leg and ankle.
• Checking for swelling and tenderness.
• Feeling your lower leg for gaps in your Achilles tendon, thickening of the tendon, or bony growths on the heel bone.
• Observing how you stand and walk.
• Performing the calf squeeze test to identify a ruptured Achilles tendon.

Additional testing may include a:

• Knee-flexion test, to observe foot movement when the knee is flexed.
• Needle test, to observe the movement of a needle that is inserted into the calf near the tendon.
• Pressure test, to observe the pressure on an inflated wrap around the calf.

Credits

Last updated:	January 30, 2007
Author:	Kathe Gallagher, MSW
Reviewed By:	Martin Gabica, MD - Family Medicine, Nicola Maffulli, MD, PhD - Orthopedics
Editors:	Kathleen M. Ariss, MS, Pat Truman, MATC