achilles or maybe just heel bruise?

Hello. After playing football last night my heel or to be more specific, an area on the back of my leg an inch or two above the heel is very sore. I am having problems walking this morning and I am wondering if there is a way to tell if it is possibly a tear in the achilles from over playing or maybe just a bruised heel from the pounding on the ground? Is there a way of determining this?

I have had sore heels in the past but this time I am very sore and worried....

Thanks in advance!

[DrNavneetMD]

Hello Dear,
Achilles tendonitis is a common overuse injury that tends to occur in middle-age recreational athletes. The overuse causes inflammation that can lead to pain and swelling. Furthermore, Achilles tendonitis can lead to small tears within the tendon, and make it susceptible to rupture. The main complaint associated with Achilles tendonitis is pain over the back of the heel .Patients with Achilles tendonitis usually experience the most significant pain after periods of inactivity. Therefore patients tend to experience pain after first walking in the morning and when getting up after sitting for long periods of time. Patients also experience pain while participating in activities, such as when running or jumping.

Diagnosis of Achilles tendonitis is accomplished by history and physical examination. The symptoms associated with this condition are typical and can be elicited by a thorough history. A physical examination is used to determine the location of the problem.
X-rays are usually normal in patients with Achilles tendonitis, but are performed to evaluate for other possible conditions. Occasionally a MRI is needed to evaluate a patient for tears within the tendon. If there is a thought of surgical treatment a MRI may be helpful for preoperative evaluation and planning.
You can refer http://orthopedics.about.com/cs/ankleproblems/a/achilles.htm for more information.
Best

[mori0043]

Thanks for the info...

I have a game tonight and although it is better even after two days, I am trying to figure out if the problem is my heel or achilles tendon. If it is my achilles then I will definitely sit out for a while, but if it is my heel then I will play since I have had bruising on the ball of my foot before due to impact and I played through that it went away...

Is there any quick way of figuring this out?

Thanks in advance.