Achilles Tendonitis

[dianthusgirl]

I have had a nagging bout of achilles tendonitis in my left achilles that has lasted about 12 weeks.  I talked to my family dr. about it and he gave me a steriod shot and put me on a low dose of prednisone for 2 weeks.  It took down the swelling and I felt no pain. But it did no last very long.  I have always been very active and an avid jazzerciser for many years and am on my feet ALL the time at work, However, my body fat percentage is a bit high-could the extra weight cause a strain on it?  For the past 2 weeks I have just done strength training at Jazzercise and it does feel better, but still swollen.  In a past post, I read that one of your drs recommended a PRP injection (platelet rich plasma) that would help.  I have thrombocytapenia and my platelets run around 50K-could that be why it is taking so long to heal?  Thank you so much for you time.

[Michael L Gross, MD]

I have had very good success with platelet rich plasma injections (PRP) for this problem.  Platelets contain growth factors. In this therapy, your own blood is drawn, and spun to obtain a high concentration of platelets.  The concentrated platelets are injected into your tendon to deliver the concentrated growth factors and induce a healing response.  This treatment ihas had about 80% success rate.

[LLWB]

From what I have been told by a foot specialist/surgeon (can't remember the right name to call him) you should NEVER have a steriod shot in your Achilles tendon! I can cause the tendon to dissolve. I had a partial tear in my A tendon a little over 3 years ago. I wore a boot for 6 weeks. It still causes me pain, and if I am on my feet a lot, by the end of the day you can see the swelling and bulging tendon. I have  one of the ace bandage ankle brace that I wear if it gets too bad. It puts pressure on the tendon, and helps a lot.

I will be curious what response you get from the dr on here.  Good luck.