The woman with no Achilles' heel. That is what my friends and co-hikers described to me. In literature, the term "Achilles' heel" means a weakness or a vulnerable point.
The term originated from a myth where a Greek hero named Achilles was dipped into the Styx River to gain strength and invulnerability, except for his heel where his mother had held him.
I am the woman with no Achilles' heel; therefore, no weakness. But I never knew the same name would make me fall on my feet-- Achilles tendonitis.
Thankfully, I got my Achilles tendonitis treatment from a foot and ankle specialist in Singapore and regained my reputation and conquered more mountains than ever. Here's how my story goes.
How it started
Hiking and mountain climbing has been a huge part of my life. If you would ask me what would be the highlights of my life. The answer would be reaching the peak of the most strenuous mountains I have ever encountered. I have travelled to Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Thailand to see their mountain peaks.
We were in the Philippines when it first happened. It started gradually. At first, I experienced a slight pain just above my heel bone. Since I was already used to sprains and all, I ignored the pain basically. I thought that it was just a muscle spasm that would eventually go away with rest and ice therapy.
I never thought it was Achilles tendonitis; getting an Achilles tendonitis diagnosis and treatment never occurred to me as well. As days passed by, two days before our mountain hiking, to be exact, the pain worsened.
My left heel and ankle swelled, and I cannot move nor flex my left foot. My calf muscles felt tight, and the swollen area was warm and tender. I thought I would go away with a little stretching and exercise. So, the woman with no Achilles' heel pushed herself further, wore her jogging shoes, and jogged uphill.
That was really not a smart idea. The pain worsened, and I requested my friends to bring me to the nearest hospital.
Diagnosis
Sadly, I had to leave my friends and flew back to Singapore to get a proper diagnosis of my condition once I felt better.
I visited a foot and ankle specialist in Singapore working at the East Coast Podiatry. My doctor asked me a few questions about my condition. Information like when the pain started, what I usually do, what I was doing before that swelling appeared.
After his physical checkup, I underwent an X-ray and ultrasound to show the state of my left foot and ankle.
And alas, I have Achilles tendonitis. According to my foot and ankle specialist in Singapore, Achilles tendonitis is caused by several factors.
Repeatedly straining the calf muscle, wearing ill-fitting shoes, sudden stops and changes in direction, and engaging in vigorous footwork without proper warmup causes Achilles tendonitis.
I was a bit guilty about straining my calf muscles too much and a sudden change in intensity of physical activity.
Because of this, my Achilles tendon, a connective tissue that links my heel bone to my calf muscle, became inflamed, leading to Achilles tendonitis.
Treatment
I got my treatment at East Coast Podiatry. They offer a lot of treatments, such as bow-legged treatment and shockwave therapy in Singapore.
After careful assessment of my Achilles tendonitis, my specialist offered me conservative treatment like the well-known and well-loved RICE therapy or the Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation.
However, the typical RICE therapy and strengthening and stabilising exercises will take too long. I wanted to go back to mountain climbing as soon as possible. That is why I decided to go for their shockwave therapy in Singapore.
As my doctor explained to me, shockwave therapy uses a beam of energy to heal hard to reach areas, tendons and joints.
Aftercare
Like any injury aftercare, I still did RICE therapy or the rest, ice, compression, and elevation.I also attended physiotherapy treatment for three to eight weeks to fully regain the strength and mobility of my left foot and ankle. I also met a lot of people getting bow-legged treatment in my physiotherapy programme.
Apart from my physical therapy, I also got my modified footwear. My custom shoes help reduce the pain and provide sufficient support to my foot.
Six months later
I got back on my feet and met my hiking buddies again. I was still cautious with my injury, but my team was very supportive and guided me with my journey after my Achilles tendonitis treatment.
Even though they have climbed hundreds of high mountains, breathing thin air at the summit, they still joined me climbing smaller hills.
I never thought that Achilles tendonitis would bring the woman with no Achilles heel. But thanks to East Coast Podiatry and my foot and ankle specialist in Singapore, I was back conquering mountains again a year later.
