When you play sports such as basketball and racquetball a lot of stress is placed on the Achilles tendon and the muscles in your calf. If you are not very fit or if you tend only to work out on the weekends, then you may be especially vulnerable to this type of injury. Sudden increases in activity levels are the most common cause of Achilles tendonitis, along with a lack of flexibility or overpronation. If you have changed shoes recently or changed routines these may also contribute to this injury.
Tendonitis in the Achilles tendon can be very painful, particularly first thing in the morning or after a long period of inactivity. The pain may start mild after first straining it, but will progressively get worse as time goes on and the tendon starts to swell and stiffen. While most of the pain will be in the tendon itself you may also notice stiffness in the calf muscles as well as generalized swelling in the area around the tendon. The area around the tendon may be tender, red, and warm to the touch.
Because the Achilles tendon has a poor blood supply, Achilles tendonitis can be slow to heal. There is no substitute for time when it comes to a healing tendon you can treat the symptoms to make it a bit more bearable to walk but it will simply take time for the tendon to heal up completely. It is advised to not try to over exercise the tendon during this time as this could cause the tendon to rupture which will then cause you to have an even longer recovery time as well as probably needing to wear a cast or other type of immobilization.
Treatment for Achilles tendonitis is usually rest, anti-inflammatory drugs, and bandaging the ankle. For severe pain a doctor may recommend at steroid injection or shoe inserts to help you get around better until the injury gets better. There is no substitute for rest though and this should be the first treatment that you consider for your strained tendon.