Achilles tendinitis is usually the result of an injury or tiny tears in the tendon fibers. Achilles tendinitis is associated with local pain, usually slow in onset, and a limp, causing difficulty running and jumping.
Exercise can make the symptoms either better or worse.
The discomfort varies from being just a nuisance to being very painful and restrictive. The back of the shoe may cause painful pressure on the attachment of the tendon to the heel bone. Sensitivity at the site of inflammation is a consistent sign. For non-insertional tendinitis, swelling is frequently seen and felt. Sometimes there is a rubbing feeling with gliding of the tendon as the ankle moves back and forth.