M76.6: Achilles tendinitis

You have an inflammation in your Achilles tendon.

The Achilles tendon connects the muscles in the calf with the foot. When you tense the muscles in your calf, you can point your toes downward. When you raise your toes towards your nose, you stretch the Achilles tendon. You can feel your Achilles tendon at the back of your leg, just above your heel.

An inflammation in the Achilles tendon can affect tendons, tendon sheaths, bursas or joint capsules. Tendons are made up of very firm connective tissue. Tendons attach muscles to bones. A tendon sheath is a covering for the tendon. It cushions the tendon and contains a small amount of fluid. This reduces friction between the tendon and its surroundings. A bursa is a cushion of connective tissue filled with fluid. For example, there is a bursa beneath tendons or between bones and skin. The bursa prevents the tissue from rubbing together. A bursa also enables pressure to be distributed better. Joints are encased in a joint capsule.

An inflammation can be caused by overwork, injuries or pathogens, for example. An inflammation may be painful. The pain may make moving your leg more difficult than usual.

Additional indicator

On medical documents, the ICD code is often appended by letters that indicate the diagnostic certainty or the affected side of the body.

  • G: Confirmed diagnosis
  • V: Tentative diagnosis
  • Z: Condition after
  • A: Excluded diagnosis
  • L: Left
  • R: Right
  • B: Both sides

Further information

Note

This information is not intended for self-diagnosis and does not replace professional medical advice from a doctor. If you find an ICD code on a personal medical document, please also note the additional indicator used for diagnostic confidence.
Your doctor will assist you with any health-related questions and explain the ICD diagnosis code to you in a direct consultation if necessary.

Source

Provided by the non-profit organization “Was hab’ ich?” gemeinnützige GmbH on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Health (BMG).

More articles

Bursitis

Swelling and pain, around the knee or elbow for example, may be a sign of bursitis.

Tendinitis

Tendinitis can occur because of heavy use of and excessive strain on a tendon. An irritated tendon requires a period of rest.