Achillies Tendinitis

[alamb200]

Hi,

I was working in London the other week and my hotel was about 3 miles from Wembley Stadium. Being a northener I thought it would be interesting to run to the stadium to have a look while I was there.

I was late finishing on the night so could not go then so I went in the morning instead, unfortunately I started getting a bit of pain in the back of my ankle as I was arriving at the stadium, this pain increased when I got there. This caused me a problem because I really wanted to walk back to the hotel but because I was due back in my customers office I did not have time and had to keep running to get ack in time.

As I am sure you can imagine this was getting reallypainful by the time I got back.

Since then I have rested my ankle and have not done any exercise for two weeks but I nwant to start moving again now.

I have seen and tried some exercises which involve stading on the bottom stair on both feet and stand on tip toes then lift one foot off the stair and lower down to the initial position. I am doing this but do not really know if I am doing the right thing.

Can anyone help me? Please.

Thanks,

alamb200

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[GrantP]

eccentric ex is good for achilles tendinopathy, if that is what you have. you may have a retrocalcanel bursitis for instance. as long as exercise is working for you then great, if not, rest and ice the achilles. if you have back pain (or even if you have NO back pain) it may be worth getting your spine and sacro-iliac assessed to ensure all well there, and even your foot biomechanics and general pelvic and lower limb stability - but possibly getting ahead of ourselves here - again if exercise works then brilliant. if not get it assessed as can be either very simple or very complex. good luck

---------- Post added at 09:43 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:40 PM ----------

just saw you also are taking asacol for IBD. this throws in the realm of visceral referred pain related to your colits and a general inflammatory predisposition, meaning you can get tendinopathies related to your bowel condition. like i say complex or simple.

[Makethisworkout]

Yep, as Grant said Alamb. Once assessed etc, from there I'd like to make a recommendation.....I had a nightmare case of tendinitis which was only fixed through barefoot running - essentially the Alfredson eccentric technique that Grant describes. Gotta make sure its a very gradual progression though.

[violablue]

Could you please expand on what you mean by pain at the back of the ankle? Is that where the tendon attaches to your heel? Under your heel? On a side of your heel? In the calf muscle up a bit higher than the foot and Achilles tendon?

I've had many people tell me heel, then point somewhere else altogether. So just wanting to make sure.

[alamb200]

Yep, as Grant said Alamb. Once assessed etc, from there I'd like to make a recommendation.....I had a nightmare case of tendinitis which was only fixed through barefoot running - essentially the Alfredson eccentric technique that Grant describes. Gotta make sure its a very gradual progression though.

Hi,

You said you sorted this with barefoot running, was this to cure pronation? I have to wear insoles and have seen on other forums that barefoot running can sort this out.

If it was how far did you have to run and how often before you saw any effects?

The pain in my foot is pretty central if looking from the back maybe slightly to the right hand side and about 3" up from the bottom of the foot if stood up.

Thanks for the help.

alamb200

[violablue]

Hi,

You said you sorted this with barefoot running, was this to cure pronation? I have to wear insoles and have seen on other forums that barefoot running can sort this out.

If it was how far did you have to run and how often before you saw any effects?

The pain in my foot is pretty central if looking from the back maybe slightly to the right hand side and about 3" up from the bottom of the foot if stood up.

Thanks for the help.

alamb200

Okay, so that does sound like it is in the tendon if it is central and 3 inches up from the bottom of the foot. Can you feel a bump in the tendon? It is likely sore if there.

And just wanted to mention if you wear orthotics for pronation, barefoot running may be a painful prospect for you.

How tight are your calf muscles? Do you stretch? Do you foam roll? Think of the tendon as the weak point in the muscle tendon relationship. When the muscle is tight you can feel pain in the muscle, but often you feel pain at the attachment to bone point, the tendon, or musculotendonous junction. If you relieve the muscle tightness, the excess overstrain on the tendon reduces and the pain reduces. Simplistic, but the way it does work.

I've seen it many times that active people don't foam roll and stretch and their muscles are in an extremely tight state.

Getting physio to help relieve the inflammation and to set you up on a good program is ideal.

[alamb200]

Strangley enough yes I did stretch before this run usually I just pull on my trainers and go.

I think you are right about my calf muscles, I find when I am cycling that they soon get tight and feel as if I am cramping.

I cannot feel a bump in my tendon, it seems to be the same as my other heel.

Why would the bare foot running cause me extra pain?

[violablue]

If you do stretch it's best to do so after the muscles have warmed up. Stretching cold can actually have the opposite effect that you want, and can increase risk of injury.

If you have pronated feet that have been supported by orthotics, barefoot running may worsen any issues you have, as you are in a state of imbalance, with those muscles that support the arch either not doing their job, too weak to do their job, or too tight and knotted to do their job. If you start barefoot running, the issues going on with these muscles may worsen. Of course there is the "other hand," where people think this will kick start your feet to a more balanced state. Only time and research will be able to sort out barefoot running risks and benefits.

If you don't have a bump on the tendon and it's about the same size as your other tendon and not painful, you've likely already had a reduction in your inflammation.

A great way to loosen your calves without aggravating the tendon is to foam roll. Also great to do when warmed up as it seems easier, less painful, and more effective. Here are some resources:

Fitter First’s Foam Roller Exercise Handout at http://www.fitter1.com/Assets/pdf/Fo..._Exercises.pdf
National Throw Coach’s Association Foam Roller Handout at http://www.nationalthrowscoachesasso...FoamRoller.pdf
Sport Medicine Institute’s A Guide to the Foam Roller at http://www.smiweb.org/roller.pdf
Foam Roller Exercise Video at Foam Roller Exercise Video - YouTube
How to Build a Foam Roller at How to build your own foam roller
Video on How to Build a Foam Roller at Make Your Own EXTREME Foam Roller - YouTube

[Patricia Forrester]

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