achilles soreness
I seemed to have at least slightly injured my achilles during a race on dirt roads. i've taken about a week off running, my achilles is a bit sore in the morning now but feels better after it gets warmed up. I've been on ibuprofen/ice and trying to massage the achilles as much as possible. Having lived thru a partially torn achilles, i'm pretty nervous about running on it again. Should i take some more time off, start running on the eliptcal/in water? Maybe get into a massage therapist who can hit the achilles harder than i can? Is it ok to start running on it?? Any advice ? thanks todd
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if you're still sore walking around, I'd say no to land running. pool/deep water running is totally cool. if it were strictly up higher in the muscles I'd say continue with caution, but if the pain is right on the tendon, you've gotta be cautious with that one.
Key with the achilles is to work it two ways: beat the crap out of your calf with foam roller/stick from the achilles all the way up to the back of hte knee and then specific work on the achilles tendon itself. a massage therapist will be great for the muscular stuff, but see if you can find someone who's graston certified in your area (www.grastontechnique.com). It's an instrument assissted soft tissue release. Works wonders on tendon injuries in particular.
Always stretch + ice following self massage stuff!! consider a heel lift in your shoe in the mean time.
Leigh knows her stuff so I will assume you are already better. I will add a clinical note on something I have been seeing more and more lately with all the Western States runners I care for...Tendonosis.
Your symptoms of the Achillies being sore when you wake then getting better when you warm up is "classis" tendonosis symptoms. Tendonosis of the Achillies often has a knot about 1-1.5" above the boney insertion. If that's the case, then add eccentric stretching @ 3 sets x 15 reps with using a standing or seated calf machine and lift the weight using your "healthy" leg and then fight/lower the weight into a controlled stretch "NO BOUNCING". At the bottom then raise the weight again with the healthy leg.
IF it is tendonosis then you have to be careful with your workload as your capacity is compromised. It is a game of Chutes and Ladders. You can make lots of progress and climb that ladder of progress BUT if you exceed your capacity with intensity, running on your toes (Newtons), toe-off too hard (ie: tight hip flexors/weak glutes and compensating with toe-off), running up hill, etc. you can slide the chute down to the start and ruin weeks of progress.
Graston works great on this particular issue as the tendon is so easy to work with the instruments.
Keep us informed.
Vince