Physiotherapy for leg and ankle

Achilles tendinopathy is a painful overuse injury, which is extremely common in athletes who participate in sports that involve jumping and running (Silbernage et al., 2020). Achilles tendon injuries can be separated into insertional tendinopathy (20%–25% of the injuries), mid-portion tendinopathy (55%–65%), and proximal musculotendinous junction (9%–25%) injuries, and this can be determined by the location of pain (Silbernage et al., 2020). In elite track and field athletes, 43% reported having either current or prior symptoms of Achilles tendinopathy, with a high prevalence of 83% in middle-distance runners. However, Achilles tendinopathy is not exclusive to just sporting injuries, given that 65% of injuries diagnosed in general practice are not sport related (Silbernage et al., 2020). Other common lower leg and ankle diagnoses include lateral ankle sprain, calf strain and syndesmosis injury. These injuries are most common with the sporting population; however they can still occur in the general population.