Achilles...again..

Lets try this again. I posted before around a database crash so you see the 2 other threads with no content. If someone could delete those so that I don’t look like a tool I would appreciate it lol.

Background:
-31, 170lb
-got back into running 2 years ago after 11 years away from track and field.

My first season back I was by myself, trained lightly and competed in a few open meets in 200 and 400m events. No injuries but I was not taking it too seriously.

Last season I got hooked up with a trainer from Jamaica and kinda got “into the circle” here in central florida seeing damu cherry and dennis mitchell training on a regular basis and getting to hang out with dwight thomas. This also got me access to a lot of therapy which I used…

Last season being my first real season in a long time I was plagued with injuries. My first meet I strained my right hamstring. Took time off, eased back into training then strained my left hamstring. Again, more time off, ease back into it…strained my right hamstring again. I started the season training in october but it wasn’t until June that my hamstring issues were better and I could run in a second meet. I ran a 400, PB’d and thought things were looking up. I was beginning to prepare for the US masters championships.

My right achilles started getting sore. It didn’t hamper my training, and didn’t get any better or worse so I kept training. I would just take extra time warming up and ice after workouts and thought I would be ok. After one of my sessions it started hurting bad. The next day I could barely walk on it. So, I took a few days off and adjusted my training to take me off the track and do lot of bike work. This seemed to help after a week or so and I gradually got back on the track but the pain was still there and I noticed my left achilles starting to get sore too. Because of this I decided to not go to the championships and run in one more meet. I did this, ran a 200 and again PB’d. Following this, I ended my season.

That was July 31st. From then until October 10th I took complete rest. No gym, no running, nothing. I really wanted to heal my achilles so that I could run again. My left has gone away but my right which was the worse I still feel. It is still and sore when I wake up in the morning but gets better and feels fine by midday.

I have started doing a lot of achilles rehab exercises and stretches the past 2 weeks which has helped but there is still discomfort there. I have started back in the gym but I am afraid to start running again. I do a lot of calf stretches, heal drops and toe walks.

I have seen an orthopedist who took xrays and recommended the exercises I am doing now. I know the achilles takes a long time to heal but I would have thought the almost 3 months of rest would have been enough.

Could my hamstring issues have attributed to my achilles problems? After taking the time off, how concerned should I be with getting back out there? I plan to do most of my training in the beginning on grass. The tracks I run on are both mondo surface but I would occasionally run on an all weather rubber surface before.

I’v had a similar problem, done tonnes of eccentrics for 3months and dropped running. Came back to accels in trainers, pain returned. A friend who had similar issues recomended acupunture (it cured his in 2 sessions). I had my first session a week ago, and atm the pain is gone and I’ve been running everyday. My coach massages my calf every training session, and post-acupuncture he said all tightness had left the muscle. He was very surprised. I’m having a couple more appointments and I should think that will be sufficient.

Interesting. I had never really thought about acupuncture. I need to look into that, thanks.

Foam rolling - from your Hips Down to your feet
Stretching - all over
Better shoes
Strengthen the Tibia Anterior muscle
Strengthen the Feet muscles
TENS on your Calfs, Tibia Anterior, hammies, glutes, hip flexors and thighs

Thank you.

What sort of things can be done for strengthening the tibia anterior and feet?

I have not used a TENS machine but I have used ultrasound; I will have to look into that as well.

Bare foot running, if your achilles allows it. Otherwise you can do ‘claws’, you stand up and move forwards by clawing with your toes. Theraband ankle flex’s are good for the Tib Ant.

[QUOTE=Blivit;241912] After taking the time off, how concerned should I be with getting back out there? QUOTE]

Heat helps recovery of tissues. I posted something similar in another thread - but this might also be usefull for you…

Carbon ceramic fiber socks - greatly helped ease pain my foot, because these unique socks reflect your foots heat - several inches back in to the foot and lower leg muscles. (cotton socks only reflect heat about 3 millimeters back in to the foot.)

Go to www.firheels.com and have a browse.
I have used their socks and they are excellent - you will feel the differance. However, they are expensive - and should not be washed in the washing machine - and have to be air dried. You can only wash them with mild soap and cold water.
So eventually - I stopped wearing them.

The next best option for heat, is to purchase a wetsuit sock. Find them under such search terms as:

Neoprene socks
Fishing neoprene socks
wetsuit socks
Surfers’ neoprene socks etc… etc…

Neoprene is a material with good heat retention ability.

Right now - I am wearing a neoprene sock on my left foot. It is warm, snug and comfortable - and has in fact - eased a lot of the pain.

Neoprene is als very easy to wash and keep clean - and they are affordable.
They are about 3 millimeters thick and so they keep you warm.
Remember - as we aproach winter - things can take longer to heal - because of the temperature etc…

Stick a hot water bottle in your bed within the next month or so.

Cold therapy:

Once a day, I take my foot out of that neoprene sock, and I dip my foot in bucket of cold water for 5 to 10 mins. (big plastic salad box at bottom of my refrigerator - used only for my foot.)

I put another neoprene sock - over toes only - when dipping foot in icy cold salad box water - to stop toes being at risk of severe temperature.)

Anyway - my foot feels wonderfull after this treatment. These are the best two rehab methods I have ever used.

Good luck.