This phase of the rehabilitation process, often overlooked, is one of the main reasons
why old injuries keep re-occurring. Once you feel some strength returning to your
Achilles it's time to incorporate some balancing drills and exercises.
When muscles and tendons are torn, nerves sustain damaged. These nerves send vital
information to the brain about the specific position and location of the Achilles
tendon and ankle joint in relation to the rest of your body.
Without this information the muscles, tendons and ligaments are constantly second-guessing
the position of the Achilles and ankle joint. This lack of awareness about the position
of the lower leg can lead to a re-occurrence of the same injury long after you thought
it had completely healed.
Balancing exercises are important to help re-train the damaged nerves around your
lower leg and ankle joint. Start with simple balancing exercises like walking along
a straight line, or balancing on a beam. Progress to one-leg exercises like balancing
on one foot, and then try the same exercises with your eyes closed.
When you're comfortable with the above activities, try some of the more advanced
exercises like wobble or rocker boards, Swiss balls, stability cushions and foam
rollers.
Plyometrics and Sports Specific Exercises
This last part of the rehabilitation process will aim to return your Achilles to
a pre-injury state. By the end of this process your Achilles should be as strong,
if not stronger, than it was before you injured it.
This is the time to incorporate some dynamic or explosive exercises to really strengthen
up your Achilles tendon and improve your proprioception. Start by working through
all the exercises you did above, but with more intensity.
For example, if you were using light isometric exercises to help strengthen your
Achilles and calf muscles, start to apply more force, or start to use some weighted
exercises.
From here, gradually incorporate some more intense exercises. Exercises that relate
specifically to your chosen sport are a good place to start. Things like skill drills
and training exercises are a great way to gauge your fitness level and the strength
of your Achilles and lower leg.
To put the finishing touches on your Achilles recovery, I always like to do a few
plyometric drills. Plyometric exercises are explosive exercises that both lengthen
and contract a muscle at the same time. These are called eccentric muscle contractions
and involve activities like jumping, hoping, skipping and bounding.
These activities are quite intense, so remember to always start off easy and gradually
apply more and more force with each stretch. Don't get too excited and over-do-it,
you've come too far to do something silly and re-injure your Achilles.