Effect of Proposed Rehabilitation Program Accompanied by Therapeutic Means on Achilles Tendinopathy Among Football Players

This study aims to determine and identify the effect of a proposed rehabilitation treatment program on Achilles tendinitis in football players. The researcher employed the experimental method to suit the nature of the research, and intentionally he selected the research sample of (3) football players representing Al-Sulaikh clubs, Amanat Baghdad, and the Electrical Industries Club in Baghdad who were exposed to tendinopathy or inflammation of the middle part of the painful Achilles tendon. The following instruments were used: a Goniometer to measure the range of motion of the ankle joint, a Dynamometer to measure muscle strength during contraction and relaxation of the foot, a short heat wave device to treat inflammation and swelling, and a survey form to measure pain intensity. The results were statistically processed using arithmetic means, standard deviations, and the T-test to indicate the differences between pre-and post-test. The results showed that the proposed rehabilitation program led to reduced pain intensity, especially posterior heel pain among players with Achilles tendinopathy and restored the functional state of the affected Achilles tendon, as the program showed its effectiveness in improving the lengthening of the fat muscle and other muscles working on the foot joint, which led to an increase in the range of motion of the joint and reaching its normal range. Muscle strength exercises have increased the level of strength of the muscles working on the leg and ankle joint to the level of strength to the same as in the unaffected leg. This indicates the program's effectiveness in restoring the Achilles tendon's functional state and raising its efficiency. The most important recommendation was the use of the proposed rehabilitation program in the rehabilitation of Achilles tendinopathy.