Achilles Tendon Pain

[PBWrench]

I'm looking for advice from other masochists on the forum. I was on a several day bicycle trip last week with a good deal of climbing. I slipped up a bit in set up after shipping my bike and rode for the first two days with the saddle a little low. I developed some soreness in an achilles tendon (and knee) before I discovered the cause of the problem but decided to push through the pain during the next few days of cycling. Now, a week later, there is still some residual strain in the tendon and I've cut back interval training accordingly. Any suggestions for fast healing methods? All advice appreciated. Rubber side down.

[big shanty]

Shut it down until the pain is completely gone. Don't mess with the Achilles.

[jhcakilmer]

+1.....being a cyclist, do you really want to mess with the 2 or the 3 most important joints.....take a good rest. It's hard to say how long, but I would say a good 5 days off should do it. You really don' t want to "push through the pain" since that can precipitate a chronic problem!

[Too Tall]

Wide athletic tape applied from arch to about 6 inches above your ankle. One well applied strip will do alot. Position your ankle so that it is flexed slightly less than normal at the bottom of your stroke. It ain't rocket science, try it..fiddle. Idea is to limit range of movement a little not alot a little. Use ice and light massage no hard stretching. You should be able to keep up with your training.

[Simon Q]

Going forward try moving your cleats backards a few mm so that there is less stress on that area. You will most likley have to drop the saddle a couple of mm but you may also have to raise the saddle if you were a heel dropper and you become less of one from the greater foot stability.

[jcmuellner]

Any suggestions for fast healing methods? All advice appreciated.

No such thing as fast with an Achilles injury, take time to ice, stretch and massage, but definitely rest it. I injured mine halfway through PBP 2003 and that was one mother of a healing process, not to mention the last part of the ride...

Be good to yourself, it's still early...

Jon

[PBWrench]

Guys -- thank you for the good advice. It's hard to take it easy. TTJosh -- I tried your advice and wrapped up a few inches from my ankle. Unfortunately I bandaged up a key appendage and can't relieve myself now. Ouch. :beer:

[ejh]

lots of rest and easy streaching I only gave mine a couple weeks rest and went back at, back in '99, and 2 weeks later I ruptured it and was out for 3 months. Eric

[Too Tall]

You'd slay em' in the Catskills ;)

[Ti Designs]

PB,

One quick question: Do you have flat feet and tend to pronate?

As for the quick fix, I'm in agreement with the others - there ain't one. My concern would not only be relief of the irritation, but also eliminating the real cause. A low saddle position could do it, but we're talking something you would notice. A slightly low position and pronation could cause the problem, in which case you want to correct for the alignment problem as well as letting the injury heal.

On suggestion as for treatment (along with the tape method - the athletic trainer's handbook has all the poop on using tape to limit range of motion and take up strain). I call it contrast, it works well on ankles. Get yourself two plastic trash cans that your foot fits into. Fill one with very cold water, the other with warm water. The cold water will bring down the swelling (and it should take all of your will power to keep your foot in there). The warm water will bring back the circulation and ease off the muscle tension. Go back and forth between cold and warm a number of times, end with warm, stretch very lightly. After you do this it'll feel like the problem is gone, then over the next hour or so it'll settle back in.

[Climb01742]

there's another thing to consider: pain just above the heel/ankle can also be caused by plantar fasciitis or tightness in the arch and/or bottom of the foot. a number of things under the foot wrap around the ankle and attach above the heel/ankle. as tidesigns said, pronation could have contributed to your pain. a very useful "stretch" is to, while standing, roll the bottom of your foot over a tennis or golf ball. focus on the bottom of your foot near the heel and arch. this may help. good luck.

[PBWrench]

TI - Feet are flatter than the Earth, but I never noticed pronation. I'm going in for a pro fit next week to see what might need tweeking. Garbage cans - now that's my style!

[Ti Designs]

TI - Feet are flatter than the Earth, but I never noticed pronation.

That's 'cause flat objects don't roll. What I was getting at was the path of the tendon itself, which if you have dead flat feet probably has a bend to it, so there is always friction on one side. I would also guess that from time to time you notice the irritation to a lesser extent when taking up the weight while walking down stairs (all has to do with the angle of the foot)

[little.man]

I had problems with my achilles a few years ago. Tried all of the conventional techniques, but nothing was working. Then stumbled across ART - Active Release
Technique. Found an ART Dr., and was essentially cured after one session. Have
also had good luck treating other bouts of tendinitous with ART as well. The guy
who I went to was also well versed in stretching and has provided me with a series
of stretches that have helped prevent problems.

If you can find an ART practitioner in you area, I would recommend giving him/her a try.

Here is some information on it:

http://www.activerelease.ca/1_ARTClinic.html

[t. swartz]

horrible injury-mine snapped, and was surgically reparied, but i now have limited range of motion in ankle, constant right knee pain, sore left quads/hip (overcompensatation), smaller/underdeveloped right calf not to mention noticable limp and constant loss of balance. lower back pain in the saddle from hip misalignment...can't emphasize enough: NO activity (esp. stretching-exacerbates injury) and NO weight bearing-consult a physician...good luck.

[ejh]

Mine also needed surgery to repair. With the right rehab you can be back to normal. I ruptured mine running a 5k. 5 months I paced at Leadville and have done it 6 times. But letting it heal is the best thing to do. Eric