Exercises for the Achilles Tendon

The most common Achilles tendon injuries and tendinitis happen to athletes who do not properly exercise and strengthen their ankles. The Achilles connects the anklebone to the calf muscle and runs along the back of the ankle. Exercises help strengthen the muscles supporting the legs and ankle area and help prevent injuries to the tendon, according to the Sports Injury Bulletin.

  1. Knee Squat

    • Stand erect, facing a wall with your feet about shoulder's width apart and the toes about 6 inches from the wall. You might need to adjust distance from the wall as you try to exercise.
      Bend the knees and squat slightly, allowing your knees to barely touch the wall in front of you. Keep the back straight and hold for a moment, then return to a standing position. Repeat the movement, but on the second time, turn the knees down to the right before they reach the wall. This will simulate the stress applied to the left heel, Achilles and calf muscle during running. Return to the upright position and repeat the movement, with knees turning to the left to work the right Achilles. Do 10 repetitions.

    Toe Reach and Balance

    • Standing on your right foot 2 or 3 feet from the wall, hold your left leg slightly out in front of you toward the wall, without bending at the knee. Bend the right knee slightly and keep your body as vertical as possible. Move your left foot straight out to where the toe barely touches the wall. After the toe touches the wall, move the left foot out to the left of your body as if trying to touch a spot on the wall a few feet over. Then move the foot across in front of your body and try to touch a spot a few feet to the right. This is one rep of the exercise. Repeat five times and switch legs.
      This exercise will work your calf muscles in a wide range of motions and will help knee and hip muscles and improve coordination.

    Achilles Stretch

    • The idea of this exercise is not to overstretch the tendon, as that would cause a lack of push-off strength, but to work the tendon enough to help prevent injuries caused by the stress of normal athletic movements.
      Stand facing the wall about an arm's length away and rest all of your weight on your right foot, with the knee bent slightly. This will put the Achilles in a flexed state. Your left leg can be at rest. Your hands should be on the wall in front of you for support.
      Simply lean toward the wall, and you should feel a stretch in your calf muscles and Achilles tendon. Hold the stretch for 20 second, then gently roll your foot to the outside and hold the stretch for 10 more seconds. Roll it toward the inside and hold for 10 more seconds. Repeat this stretch on the other foot.