12 Best Home Treatments for Achilles Tendonitis (#4 is Awesome!)

Photo credit: bigstock.com

10. Epsom Salt

Epsom salt isn’t actually a salt, it contains magnesium, which encourages healing, relaxes the muscles, and reduces swelling and pain. Add 1 cup of Epsom salt to a hot bath and soak for 20 to 30 minutes. Repeat three or four times each week until your tendon heals completely.

11. Vitamin E

This fat-soluble antioxidant fights off the free radicals by relieving inflammation, and therefore pain. This vitamin also improves circulation, which will reduce swelling and encourages healing. You can take supplements and eat more foods that contain vitamin E including almonds, kale, spinach, turnip greens, Swiss chard, and hazel nuts.

You can also massage the affected area two or three times each day with vitamin E oil.

12. Castor Oil

Castor oil is mainly made of ricinoleic acid, which is a super anti-inflammatory. One study, published in 2001 in the Naunyn-Schmiedeberg’s Archives of Pharmacology, found that castor oil contains capsaicin-like, anti-inflammatory compounds, which were found to be most effective when used in repeated applications. You can apply castor oil to the affected area two or three times each day to relieve pain and stop inflammation.

Additional Tips:

Keep the affected leg elevated as much as possible to encourage healing and reduce swelling.
Avoid activities that put stress on your tendon, such as climbing stairs or walking uphill.
Wear shoes that give you adequate cushioning for your heel.
Avoid wearing high heels for long periods of time or even every day.
When your tendon begins to heal, increase your activity level gradually.
Do exercises to strengthen and lengthen your calf muscles.

References:

Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Aofas.org