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.

[Erikian]

If your dr determines that a Platelet Rich Plasma injection is the proper route, please confirm with them that the prp system that they utilize actually concentrates platelets.  There's a couple of very inexpensive 'prp's on the market that are actually only blood separation systems.  They tend to only pull off the yellow/plasma layer.  Not the platelet rich 'Buffy coat'.  
The platelets are where all the various growth factors(TGF-b, egf, pdgf, igf..) are located.  Once the blood is separated the platelets get caught up in the Buffy coat(WBC's, older RBC's) via density seperation.  Therefore the prp normally is red in color.  I'm only letting you know because there are several prp's on the market now & I just want you to get the most 'bang for your buck'.
Best of luck with your issues, I hope they resolve soon.

[toots_jwu]

Hi everyone, I am commenting on here because I wasn't sure how to start a new thread for my question.  I have been suffering with achilles tendonosis for 5 years and the last 2 years it seems to have gotten worse.  After an hour of standing or walking, my left achilles would be stiff and painful and if I continue standing my back would give out and I would need to rest.  It also seems like there is no strength in that ankle.  I recently decided to see a doctor who specialized in injuries among athletes and he sent me for xrays and ultrasounds but they have both come back normal.  He originially wanted to give me PRP shots but since the tests came back normal he will settle with shots of traumeel, marcaine and b12.  I would rather have the PRP shots if it will help strengthen the achilles instead of masking the pain.  Am I still eligible for PRP if tests "look" normal?  I'm not sure where to go from here...thanks for reading.

[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.