Achilles tendonitis stretches: what the research supports, step by step

We went back to the studies on Achilles tendonitis stretches. Below are only techniques tested in a published trial, with that trial’s dose and a short video of each.

First, find where it hurts. Midportion pain sits more than 2 cm (just under an inch) above the tendon’s attachment to the heel bone. Insertional pain sits within 2 cm of it.^[4]

Where do stretches fit, and when is it time for a procedure?

The Dutch national guideline sets the order: at least 12 weeks of progressive calf strengthening, a talk about added treatments if you’re no better at three months, and surgery as an option once six months of active treatment has failed.^[4]

If months of exercise have not helped, more of the same is not your only choice. Dr. Efe Ozturk, a Foot and Ankle Surgeon and podiatrist, can confirm your type, look at the tendon with ultrasound, and talk through Tenex, TenJet or open surgery. See our Achilles tendonitis treatment guide. Seeing a surgeon sooner keeps those options open.

Do stretches help Achilles tendonitis?

Some, but loading has the stronger evidence.

• The guideline. Tendon loading gets its top grade. Stretching gets a lower one: clinicians “may use” it for midportion pain when the ankle is stiff.^[1]
• The head-to-head trial. In 45 people, daily stretching and daily heel drops both eased symptoms over a year, with no significant difference. Women and people with pain low in the tendon improved less. The authors could not separate the exercises from natural healing.^[2]
• The reviews. A 2018 review found moderate evidence that eccentric exercise (slow lowering) beats a control group, and only low-level evidence comparing it with stretching, with no clear winner.^[5]
• Stretching plus a supplement. In a 59-person trial, stretching plus a collagen supplement did about as well as eccentric exercise, but two authors worked for the supplement’s maker.^[6]

We found no trial of stretching alone against no treatment. So start with our Achilles heel-drop guide, and add these stretches if your calf or ankle is stiff.

How do you stretch for midportion Achilles pain?

The dose comes from the head-to-head trial and the wall setup from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.^[7,8] Keep both stretches pain free; the trial allowed only slight unpleasantness.

Wall calf stretch, back knee straight

1. Face a wall, hands on it. Put your sore leg back, knee straight, heel flat.
2. Bend your front knee and slowly move your hips toward the wall until the calf stretches.
3. Hold 30 seconds, then relax.
4. Do 5 holds.
5. Do this session every day for 3 months.

Wall calf stretch, back knee bent

1. Use the same position, but bend your back knee and keep that heel flat.
2. Slowly sink down until you feel a stretch low in the calf.
3. Hold 30 seconds, then relax.
4. Do 5 holds.
5. Do this session every day for 3 months.

Heel drop on a step

This was the trial’s other arm, and it stretches and loads at once. The rail comes from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons’ version, not the trial. Use it for midportion pain only.^[7,8]

1. Stand on a small step on the balls of your feet, legs straight, holding a rail.
2. Rise onto your toes.
3. Shift to the sore leg and slowly lower the heel until you feel a strong stretch.
4. Come back up with both legs. Do 15 reps.
5. Do 15 more with the knee slightly bent.
6. Repeat that series twice each session, building to three times.
7. Do this every day for 3 months.
8. When pain eases, add a backpack, 5 kg (about 11 pounds) at a time.

Some pain is expected. Rising daily pain or morning stiffness means you moved up too fast.^[7]

What should you change if the pain is at the heel bone?

When your toes come up toward your shin, the tendon wraps around the heel bone and gets squeezed.^[3] In donated legs, pressure inside the tendon rose during calf stretches and heel drops, and it peaked deep at the attachment.^[9]

The 2025 trial tested this in 42 active people on a loading program. One group limited ankle bend, skipped calf stretching, and used ball massage and 12 mm heel lifts. The other worked to full ankle bend and stretched daily. At 24 weeks, function scores rose 29.0 versus 19.3 points, and 94.7% versus 57.9% were satisfied. The trial tested the whole package, so it can’t isolate the stretches.^[3]

Floor-level heel raises

This program stops at the floor. In a 2008 pilot with no comparison group, 67% of people were satisfied and back to activity, versus 32% in an earlier study of the step version.^[10,11] The Dutch guideline also suggests starting on a flat surface.^[4] The dose below is the pilot’s. The wall or chair is our addition for balance.

1. Stand on a flat floor, holding a wall or chair.
2. Rise onto your toes using both legs.
3. Shift to the sore leg. Slowly lower until your heel touches the floor, and stop.
4. Do 3 sets of 15 reps.
5. Do this twice a day, 7 days a week, for 12 weeks.

Seated towel stretch

In a 2014 trial of 36 people with insertional pain, everyone did stretches, ice massage, heel lifts and a night splint, and some added eccentric exercise. Both groups improved about equally.^[12] Nobody skipped stretching, so it can’t show that stretching helped. Use this only if your clinician wants you to keep stretching.

1. Sit upright with your sore leg straight.
2. Loop a towel around the ball of your foot.
3. With both hands, gently pull your foot toward your face.
4. Hold 30 seconds. Do 3 reps.
5. Do this twice a day for 12 weeks.

What Achilles tendonitis exercises should you avoid?

• Heel drops below step level, with heel-bone pain. The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons says not to do them.^[8]
• Deep calf stretches, with heel-bone pain.^[3]
• Stopping everything. The guideline says complete rest isn’t needed.^[1]
• Night splints as an all-night stretch. One added nothing to heel drops in a randomized trial, and the guideline advises against them.^[13,1]
• Hard loading soon after certain antibiotics. In a large study, fluoroquinolones, such as ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin, tripled Achilles rupture risk for 60 days. The added risk was small, about 2 per 10,000, and highest with steroid pills.^[14,15]
• Any exercise after a sudden pop. It may mean a tear. Stop and get seen right away.^[8]

The limits. Stretching research is thin, and these doses are what studies prescribed, not a personal plan.

A bony bump may be part of the problem; read about Haglund’s deformity. See our Achilles tendon care page and the surgical options at our Center for Lower Extremity Surgery (external site).

Common questions

Should I stretch or strengthen my Achilles?

Strengthen first. Stretching is an option if your ankle is stiff.^[1]

How long do Achilles stretches take to work?

In the head-to-head trial, symptoms were better by 3 weeks and kept improving over a year.^[2]

Do stretches prevent Achilles tendonitis?

A systematic review found no evidence that stretching prevents tendon problems, though few studies exist.^[16]

When to see a Foot and Ankle Surgeon or podiatrist