Achilles Tendinitis
Achilles tendinitis is an overuse injury of the Achilles tendon, the band of tissue that connects calf muscles at the back of the lower leg to your heel bone. Achilles tendinitis most commonly occurs in runners who have suddenly increased the intensity or duration of their runs.
The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons says this causes (sometimes severe) pain along the back of the leg, near the heel. The Achilles tendon is actually the largest tendon in the body, and connects the calf muscles and the heel bone, adds the source.
Although the tendon is considered quite resilient, the tendon can be strained from playing running and jumping sports, it adds. There are 2-types of Achilles tendinitis: “noninsertional” means fibers in the middle of the tendon have begun to break down and swell (this commonly affects younger people), and “insertional,” which involves the lower portion of the heel where the tendon attaches to.
