Is your achilles tendon ‘mangled’ (microscopically)?
Are you pumping the brakes (on life) because of an old (or new) injury that is holding you back?
An example of an injury that I see daily is in the achilles tendon.
A healthy achilles tendon has hundreds of parallel collagen fibres densely packed together. If your tendon has been aggravated or overused, microscopically we see that these collagen fibers have been pushed apart (gaps) so that healing cells (and inflammation) can enter in an attempt to fix the problem.
At this point you may even feel a small bump on your achilles tendon.
If you continue to train or somehow aggravate (and/or not seek treatment when necessary) your achilles tendon, the collagen fibers will look more mangled (non-parallel) under the microscope. The tendon cells now are fewer, larger, and of the wrong type. The tendon will eventually grow aberrant (unproductive) blood vessels. All of this makes the tendon softer and weaker and more likely to tear.
To get back to stiff (will some spring) parallel collagen fiber tendon strength and return to full recovery and activity, load management and treatment options/combinations are typically required. Some of the treatments for achilles tendon injuries that I use in my clinic are stretches/exercises, Class 4 laser, Shockwave Therapy, Graston Instruments, and Active Release Techniques.
Like working out at a gym, often 6 weeks are required for the healing and remodeling of a tendon and full recovery may be up to 12 to 24 weeks.
If you no longer have a spring in your step, it might just be your achilles tendon!