The Achilles tendon is perhaps one of the most important ligaments in the entire body when it comes to athleticism. Jumping, running, jogging, and any other kind of lateral or vertical movement relies heavily upon the sturdiness, strength and elasticity of the Achilles tendon.

Injuring an Achilles tendon can be one of the most painful experiences you’ll ever have to endure, but to an athlete the initial pain is just the beginning of the emotional struggle that follows during the healing process. When a tendon is damaged the body begins to heal itself. However your body wants to make sure the tendon heals and is not easily damaged again, and in order to do this it sends swelling to the injured area and begins building rigid scar tissue around the tendon tears.

While this certainly works to heal the tendon, it also decreases the elasticity and power of the tendon as well. Micheal Jordan tore his Achilles tendon only a few years before winning the slam dunk contest jumping off of the same foot from the free throw line, so it is possible to regain all of your athletic abilities in your Achilles tendon with the right physical therapy.

The key to a smooth recovery will undoubtedly be physical therapy. Even though rest is excellent for the injury, you have to being lightly training it again as soon as possible. Light stretches, circular movements and massages can drastically reduce the amount of scar tissue that accumulates on your tendon while also returning strength to your heel. Try digging your thumbs gently into the area of the injury after several weeks of rest. This will help you gently scrape some of the fresh scar tissue that is accumulating from the tendon.