Some Natural Products for Achilles Tendonitis Really Work.
For pain caused by inflammation, the German combination remedy Phytodolor, a blend of ash, poplar, and goldenrod extracts, is backed up with the best scientific evidence. No fewer than ten scientific studies confirm its usefulness in controlling muscle and bone pain with a virtual absence of side effects. This remedy may be particularly appropriate for Achilles tendon pain because it normalizes red blood cells in contact with the affected tissues.
This product is sold in the UK, Ireland, and continental Europe under the trade name Phytodolor; in the United States and Canada it is marketed by Enzymatic Therapy. Because Phytodolor works by reducing inflammation, it is most helpful during the first few weeks after injury. Unlike NSAIDs, it will not aggravate the underlying tissue damage.
SAM-e, best known as a treatment for depression, also relieves pain. Like Phytodolor, it has the advantage of very seldom causing side effects. Various studies have found SAM-e as good or better for pain relief as Advil, Motrin, Naprosyn, and Nuprin. A study involving 20,641 people with osteoarthritis of the finger, hip, knee, and spine found that SAM-e alone was as effective as their ordinary pain relievers.
In the longest-running study involving the supplement, various minor side effects occurred in 20 out of 97 patients from time to time during the first 18 months of the intervention. In the final 6 months of the study, however, no patients experienced any side effects from SAM-e. Patients received relief of morning stiffness, pain at rest, and pain on movement, and depression as well.
Although the use of individual herbs for Achilles tendonitis is not especially well documented, several herbs are likely to be helpful. Animal studies show that boswellic acid extracts (produced from the Ayurvedic herb guggul) stop inflammation, increase glycosaminoglycan synthesis needed to repair injured tissue, and improve blood flow, the latter especially important in the treatment of Achilles tendonitis.
When used at a dosage of 400 mg per day, there are no reported side effects from boswellic acid. The Ayurvedic formula Yogaraj Guggulu has the same effect, as does a modern Ayurvedic product from TheraVeda (Organix South) called Nartana.
Some people should avoid boswellin, boswellic acid extracts, and guggul (guggulu). Both boswellic acid extracts and Yogaraj Guggulu alter the body's production of thyroid hormone. They should be avoided by people who have Graves' disease or other forms of hyperthyroidism. Boswellic acid supplements should be avoided by persons taking beta-blockers, especially propanolol (Inderal, Inderide), or calcium channel blockers, especially diltiazem (Cardizem), for high blood pressure, since boswellic acid can make these drugs less available to the body.
Capsaicin, devil's claw, menthol, and willow bark all offer pain relief. Capsaicin is the chemical that gives hot peppers their heat. As anyone who has cooked with chiles knows, capsaicin can cause burning, redness, and inflammation, especially to the eyes and mouth. The first time it is applied in a cream to the skin over a painful injury, capsaicin causes these symptoms, but the nerve fibers serving the back of the leg become insensitive to it-and to pain.
The product Tiger Balm works through providing a combination of capsaicin and menthol.
Capsaicin works best when there is good circulation to the skin to which it is applied. Do not apply capsaicin to your legs if you have diabetes and never apply capsaicin to ulcerated skin.
It is also important to keep capsaicin out of your nose and eyes. Allergic reactions to capsaicin are rare but are not unknown, and there have been cases of hypothermia in people who used capsaicin in an especially cold room. It is theoretically possible that capsaicin absorbed into the bloodstream could reduce the bioavailability of aspirin, and when aspirin does not relieve pain, people tend to take too much; if you use capsaicin, use pain relievers other than aspirin.
Devil's claw relieves knee pain, but only if it is taken in an enteric-coated form that protects its analgesic compounds from being digested in the stomach. Do not use devil's claw with NSAIDs such as aspirin and Tylenol and avoid it entirely if you have duodenal or gastric ulcers.
Willow bark is a natural substitute for aspirin. It contains a pain reliever less potent than the salicylates found in aspirin but that does not generally cause bleeding or stomach irritation. Do not use willow bark during pregnancy, if you have tinnitus (ringing in the ears), or if you are allergic to aspirin. Do not give willow bark or aspirin to children who have colds or flu.
Products that are effective for osteoarthritis, such as the cetylated fatty acid formula Celadrin, are not specifically shown to support recovery from Achilles tendonitis. Celadrin will, however, relieve Achilles tendon pain through the action of menthol in the formula, and is clinically proven to relieve pain in the knee, wrist, and elbow with or without menthol in the formula.
Homeopathic arnica is frequently prescribed for Achilles tendonitis by medical doctors in the UK and Germany. Arnica is most likely to help during the first few weeks after injury and when there is redness of the skin over the heel. Never take any arnica product internally, and do not ever apply the fresh herb to skin.
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