Treatment for degenerative tendinopathy begins with:
- A very carefully designed program of stretching
- Specific type of physical therapy
- Either a boot or brace designed for treatment of chronic tears of the Achilles tendon
If pain and weakness continue after prolonged boot treatment, then surgery is necessary to repair and reconstruct the degenerated Achilles tendon. Full and successful treatment is unfortunately not always successful without surgery.
Surgery is not always predictable, since the tendon has deteriorated, and it may not be possible to get it to heal again. The deteriorated portion of the tendon is removed and the healthy sides of the tendon are stitched together. If the extent of the degeneration is severe, a tendon transfer is performed. The tendon transfer is done much like the repair for chronic Achilles rupture.