This is one of the most common things I hear from runners. New shoes, more distance, added hill sprints or speed work. All great, but the bit nobody mentions is whether they adjusted their prep and recovery to match. Usually they didn't. That's your answer.

What's actually happening falls into a few categories. Tendinitis is straightforward inflammation from repetitive strain - classic in runners pushing off their toes again and again. Rest, ice, anti-inflammatories, and dialling back intensity usually settles it.

Tendinopathy is different. It's degenerative change from chronic overload, often building up with no clear injury moment at all. This needs a different approach: gradually reloading the tendon, often with eccentric strengthening, rather than just resting it.

A partial tear sits between tendinopathy and a full rupture. Similar symptoms to a complete tear, just less severe, and usually managed without surgery. The key here is sticking to the rehab plan properly. Cut corners and you risk turning it into a full rupture.

Whatever the diagnosis, the same principle applies: ease the load, restore flexibility, then rebuild capacity properly before you go back to what caused it.

A few things working together, not just one fix:

• Build strength — isometric holds and bodyweight work using a Power Band for ankle strengthening build real resilience in the tendon.
  
• Brace if needed — particularly with a partial tear, where extra support and some immobilisation helps it heal properly.
  
• Stretch the calf and hamstring using a Stretchband to keep length through the whole chain, not just the tendon itself.
  
• Manage the pain with an Ice Mate to keep inflammation under control.
  
• Release calf and lower leg tightness with a Foam Roller or Footeez to improve blood flow and ease tension.
  
• Mobilise the foot with a Massage Ball to loosen things up and improve overall foot mechanics.
  
• Don't ignore the hips — good hip and lumbo-pelvic control takes pressure off the lower leg generally.

That description — being shot, or kicked from behind — is a classic sign of a ruptured Achilles. It typically happens during sudden acceleration or deceleration, and it often catches people completely off guard if they've never had Achilles trouble before. Some people are even able to walk on it afterward, just awkwardly, with real difficulty pushing off.

Ice it, get on crutches to stay off the leg, and see a healthcare professional as soon as you can to confirm what's going on.

From there, treatment depends on severity and your individual situation — could be surgery, or a bracing protocol that holds the foot in a pointed position to let the tendon heal conservatively. Your practitioner will weigh up outcomes and re-injury risk to help you decide which path is right.

At least six months, generally. Rehab moves through clear stages, restoring range of motion first, then building strength, then progressing into functional work like jumping and agility before you're cleared.

Stick to the structure. Rushing any stage is exactly how re-ruptures happen.