Achilles Tendonitis?
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2427 days
Tribro posted 4 years ago.
hey, welcome to the site and sorry about the injury.
I haven't had this issue myself but I think you're aproaching it the right way. stretching and softer running surfaces. I try to run on trails as much as possible to avoid the harder concrete surfaces which can do damage over time. I have more issues with my knees than anything else.
I'm glad you mentioned maybe having to lay back on the running and beef up the bike and swim. It can be frustrating but better to give an injury proper rest and recovery time than to push through it and potentially cause more harm.
1796
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1541 days
PrinceofClydes posted 4 years ago.
Hi Aaron,
I too am experiencing tendonitis in my achilles. I recently picked up the mileage after being lazy this summer and I am not surprised to develop some tendonitis.
I have been through this before. If you do this stuff (sports) long enough you'll experience it all.:)
The good news is that a complete recovery is likely, even probable, with the right approach.
I'll tell you what worked for me.
1)Ice the tendon daily. After the run is good, if you're still able to run.
2) Stretch daily for about 20 minutes. 30 secs stretch, alternate ankles. Obviously we don't do this AFTER icing. The tendon needs to be WARM to stretch. I lean against a counter or the back of the couch and place my feet flat on the floor, extending the ankle behind me with a straight leg until I feel the stretch but before I feel discomfort. Hold for 30 secs.
The tendonitis is caused by the foot-ankle-calf complex being tight, so the stretching is the most important part of healing it. Exercise causes muscles to tighten, beginning the cycle.
3) Massage. Stroke the tendon sheath firmly to increase circulation, to break up deposits of scar tissue or potential scar tissue. Fingers get tired quickly so I have found great success with the water jet on the hot tub. I hold the tendon in front of the jet for ten minutes or so and I believe both objectives are achieved quite pleasurably. Repeat as often as you like. I call it hydrotherapy.:)
I don't use drugs, not even ibuprofen as an anti-inflammatory. Just a personal prejudice. If you find it effective, or necessary, go for it.
As an observation, if you sleep on your front so that your feet are extended during the night, then naturally the tendons can tighten up. In extreme cases of achilles tendonitis and plantar fasciitis, a splint is used by some therapists to keep the ankle flexed during sleep. There have been more extreme measures used, including surgery to re-attach snapped tendons, so for Pete's sake keep doing the stretches!
all the best,
PoC
"Pain doesn't last, chicks dig scars, glory is forever!"
- Shane Falco.
61
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1665 days
annietrick posted 4 years ago.
PoC has great advice. it should work well for you.... but if not, another idea is to check your footwear. you may have some biomechanical issues in your feet, and if you're not getting good support, you can irritate your tendon. check out running stores that do a mini foot/gait/running form eval in the store and get some good shoes that will give you the proper support. but it sounds like the good ol' run of the mill treatment will work wonders for you. and you are already waay ahead of that game cause you realize that you may have to (gasp!) stop running for a while if it gets bad. so many people try to push through it and it doesn't work. so you are one smart cookie! good luck!
:) annie
9
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1518 days
apenton posted 4 years ago.
Thanks guys!
I'm really glad to hear that a full recovery is possible. Thanks for the feedback!
8
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1519 days
Scottus posted 4 years ago.
I had the same thing during a big soccer season for me and I played through it, I would start the warm up(if I did one..big mistake) feeling stiff in the ankle area, and after the game be almost limping. Finally my Achilles became worse, I did not see a Dr but my symptoms became worse the pain persisted, It did no go away after warm up as before.
First thing my hard head had to realize is
My Achilles is damaged...Get off of it... it needs to heal...
So I stayed off of it and Ice/heat treated it for a month(bike/swam/wieghts during)
now I am back to It hurts when It is cold and when it is warm it feels fine. I have found a site that has some Achilles strength training exercises that seem to help and the Ice/heat treatment really helped allot...
http://www.sportsinjurybulletin.com/archive/1019-achilles-heel-injury.htm
The author explains it pretty well, and it is nice information on the injury and the mechanics...
Currently I am doing the same as you except I just run longer slower on treadmils with some build up sprints with no running road work until Its 100% along with no stop-go type running due to the extra stress. I am around 90% right now, and working on it, for me the injury was due to too little stretching and warm up along with over use, I also had a earlier left knee injury and I believe I may have somehow compensated on my right side and put a little extra stress on it... I am looking at my mechanics more and doing the above mentioned exercises to help prevent the injury from happening again...
Train Safe
Hope you have a quick recovery....
Train Hard.. Get 'er Done!! :cool:
27
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1924 days
K2pooh posted 4 years ago.
Ok, so my husband recently ruptured his achilles (most common surgery for men between the age of 30 and 40, so warm-up and stretch, that’s from his surgeon whom happens to be the Oakland A’s surgeon)...bad news. :( But anyway at the same time I was having “problems� with mine. So while he was getting P.T. done, I was asking about how to treat my tendentious and yet, keep training. Their answer was you can’t.... It hurts/is inflamed because you are aggravating it with use. Therefor you should rest until it goes away, and then slowly get back into training. ICE EVERYDAY, even if you didn’t train. If you must keep training, try to keep it to a minimum and take ibuprofen and did I mention ICE. There was one very specific exercise they gave me, walk backwards down stairs. Just walk normal, you don’t need your heal to drop below the stair tread, just stay even or what’s natural. So I did it, and the thing that I found helped the most...ICE. If I ice afterwards, I’m fine, if I don’t I’m not. It hurts because it’s inflamed, ice decreases that inflammation. Do it only 15 minutes per every 2 hours. I’m happy to say that both my hubby and I are now going to have very happy achilles :-) Good luck
Korina
9
Member
1518 days
apenton posted 4 years ago.
Hey Korina,
Sorry to hear about you and your husbands injuries, but it sounds like you are on your way to a full recovery. I've never heard of the stair-thing, but I'll give it a try. Mine is improving pretty quickly and did you mention something about ICE!?! Ice and rest seem to be really working, not to mention stretching. I've never had ice have such a positive impact on an inflammation like it has had on my achilles! Pretty cool.
Good luck and Tri-on!!
Aaron
27
Member
1924 days
K2pooh posted 4 years ago.
Ahh, one other thing I forgot to mention. The P.T. also said to do the “ABC�s with your foot. Literally, you spell out the alphabet, upper or lower case, your preference:), by moving just your foot around. It’s a great exercise for anyone with weak or troubled ankles. And it’s also quite easy to do, especially while watching TV or listening to the Jasksons singing... “ABC...it’s as easy as 123...� come on everyone, join in :D. I’m glad to hear the ice is working so well. I know it’s part of my daily schedule. Keep up the treatment, it will make life much easier.
Korina
5
Member
1628 days
blackstar posted 4 years ago.
tribro, when you say you have trouble with your knees what did you mean?
i have been diagnosed with patellar tendinitis in my right knee.
has anyone else had this problem? i'm doing all the usual things for it, lots of stretching, lots of ice and no running!
i hate not being able to run so can anyone give me a glimmer of hope? what did you do for it? how long were you not able to run for? did it clear up completely?
it seems to me that as soon as my training starts to improve i get another setback,
got knocked off my bike recently, had to buy a new frame, forks and front wheel, then got a chest infection, got over that, then got the p.t .in my knee.
oh yeah, my asthma came back and i've also got pain in my left hip joint too!
i feel like i'm falling apart! somebody please tell me that they have had a similar experience and triumphed in the face of adversity.
a story about how you had this injury, that injury, and a bad accident ,but nonetheless overcame it all, improved and succeeded, would be gratefully recieved at the moment.
i'll never give in!
p.s. i've also just found out that the proper term is now patellar tendinopathy, because tendinitis refers to an actual inflamation of the tendon, which is not the case with patellar tendinopathy.
Hey guys,
I'm new to this site and so far it looks great! Sounds like a great community.
I've been having some stiffness in my right achilles for the past month or so, and the tightness is worst first thing in the morning, most especially after a run the day before. The pain is somewhat relieved when I walk more on the balls of my feet. And somedays it feels as if I need to 'pop' my ankle, kind of like when you crack your back or knuckles to relieve some pressure.
After some searching on the web, I'm pretty positive that I have achilles tendonitis. I've been concentrating on some stretches and on my runs I'll try to run on grass where available. I've also found that when my achilles is really stiff, I need to take more time to warm-up. After the warm-up and stretch and about a mile into my run my achilles feels perfect.
I was wondering if anyone else has experienced this injury and what suggestions you can give for recovery.
I'm working on increasing my base and I have a half marathon in Nov. If the pain worsens I know I'll have to rest it, and I'll get back to uping my bike and swim schedules to keep my fitness level up.
Thanks for the feedback,
Aaron