Does anybody have any advice on treating/managing chronic achilles tendonitis while training (severe at the moment)? Rest is not an option. Also I train bearfoot so raising the heel isn't possible either. I take ibuprofen to try & help with the pain during training sessions but obviously want to heal the tendons rather that just masking the pain & hopefully stop it re-occuring. Any advice would be geatly appreciated!!

Does anybody have any advice on treating/managing chronic achilles tendonitis while training (severe at the moment)? Rest is not an option. Also I train bearfoot so raising the heel isn't possible either. I take ibuprofen to try & help with the pain during training sessions but obviously am still limited & want to heal the tendons rather that just masking the pain & hopefully stop it re-occuring. Any advice would be geatly appreciated!!

had the same injury for years now, on and off about 15, narrowed it down to running and skiping so i cut down on both, but still if i train daily (muay thai) it aggrevates me .

i stretch calf muscles frequently, and massage around the tendon as much as can bare it, just trying to get the blood to circulate that area, rest with me is also not an option , but when ido it does give relief albeit short term maybe 2/3 weeks, really dont think ibuprofen will have any effect, think it will probably be caused by a specific exercise, try and deduce which one and omit or cut that exercise totaly, good luck

Advice - consider considering taking a break an option.

gelatin (prob get more out of chondriotin and glucosamine pills from the gelatin capslule)

homw made the best
Great Lakes Gelatin a great source too


ginger, omega threes...


can anyone reading tell me about a time they took a break and came back stronger??

Taking a break is not that bad often

i have taken gluc/cond capsuales over a prolonged period with little sucsess, not saying they dont work but didnt for me, have tried everything over a fifteen year period for this particular injury with limited results.

regarding coming back stronger after a rest period, yes definetly you feel stronger , injuries or some at least have time to repair therefore you tend to perform better, but it is only a honeymoon period as it dosent take long maybe 3/4 months before your generally back to square one

Agree with Mark, if it is a recurring injury then you need to rest and address it. Strapping and shock absorbing insoles may help.

You are at risk of rupturing your Achilles tendon with continues use.

Because Achilles Tendinopathy is not a form of inflammation, there is not point relying on anti-inflammatory. Just take paracetamol if pain present.

Ice Packs can relieve pain, but strengthening the muscles in the calf and ankle may be beneficial (as the Gastrocnemius and Soleus connect to the Achilles tendon and attach to the calcaneus, so any movement in the ankle joint may irritate also)

Good luck

K :)

(Reposted due to poor English)

Agree with Mark, if it is a recurring injury then you need to rest and address it. Strapping and shock absorbing insoles may help. (I see you train bare foot so try it for a short period of time. Also did the injury start after something specific?)

You are at risk of rupturing your Achilles tendon with continued use. (And that will stop you training a lot longer)

Because Achilles Tendinopathy is not a form of inflammation, there is no point relying on anti-inflammatory medication. Just take paracetamol if pain present.

Ice Packs can relieve pain, but strengthening the muscles in the calf and ankle may be beneficial (as the Gastrocnemius and Soleus connect to the Achilles tendon and attach to the calcaneus, so any movement in the ankle joint may irritate also)

Good luck

K :)

Thanks all for the advice. I know rest is the main thing that is needed but unfortunately this really isn't an option. I do try to avoid the things that aggravate it like skipping, continuous jumping, barefoot running,etc. I suppose I was just hoping that someone had a miracle cure that didn't involve rest:-) Will work on strengthening the calf muscles & stretching.

ive had this until a chronic level. just cos the pain and inflammation in the achilles it dont mean thats the problem. see a good physio, mine was a hip nerve trapped + sciatica so pulling up and the achilles gets the effect. when mine was freed i was ok to fight within 10 days. and that was from chronic. email me if you like.

That's interesting.

I suffer from sciatica, particularly on my right side which is the same side that I suffer from achilles tendonitis.

I have the same problem and rest is not an option either. I have become flat footed in the ring as I cant push off my back foot without sharp pains. I foam roll before and after sessions especially Gastrocnemius and Soleus. Also ice it a bit when I get home. Its a over use injury so resting will make it much better. I have pretty much cut out any sprints and jumping exercises. I will rest eventually.... but for now, flat footed is better then nothing.

if you try lying on the back and pulling one knee into chest. do repetitions of pulling in then reps of holding knee in and pushing hard against it. after 5 or 10 mins if this loosens the achilles then its the hip pulling up from the hip and the tension goes near the extremity eg the heal

Trigger Points

The chances are that you do not have tendonitis, but Trigger Points. If so, it's good news because you can treat them yourself.

Trigger points are basically muscle cramps but which are confined to very small areas, and could be in just one or a few muscle fibres.

Because the muscle is tightened, it pulls on the tendons and this can feel like pain, but at the point where the tendon attaches rather than where the tigger point actually is.

I used to get exactly the same problem, feeling like the achilles tendon, and first thing in the morning I could hardly walk. Self-massage cured the problem, see below, while the Dr was saying I needed to rest it for 6 months or maybe even have surgery.

You can treat it by massaging, quite hard, the centre of the calf muscle onto the pointy bit of your other leg's knee cap. When you get the right place, the trigger point, you will feel a small degree of pain, indicating that you have found the trigger point, and then you can repeat the massage. Do the massage for maybe 20 seconds, but repeat it maybe every half hour or so.

You are probably getting trigger points through over use or through dehyrdation, so those drinks with electrolytes may help too.

If you have some spare cash, I recommend this book:
http://www.triggerpointbook.com/plantarf.htm
scroll down to see the bit on the achilles tendon.

p.s.
@BKK Gym - sciatica can actually be trigger points too
http://www.triggerpointbook.com/sciatica.htm

BKK gym and others

me too!! right side sciatica , hip and buttock pain. Left side achilles is worse than right side. In the mornings i cant walk!!!!

been to a podiatrist. he confirmed that the inward rotation of one of my hips is incorrect . As such i flare my feet out and walk on the outside edges first, rolling my foot in - a cross between a penguin and a typical cockney wanker lol. Have a look at your shoes , heels and soles to see where the point of impact/wear is.

The whole thing flares up hip, feet, back all aggravating each other - there are some things you can do to counter it

specific ankle and calf streteches. Sit on the floor with both legs out in front and slightly apart. Turn your right foot inwrad and hold. then repeat for left- do you feel it easier on one side than the other?

also standing facing a wall, once foot forward, both feet straight and bend both knees with heels down, you will feel a stretch in the botton of your calves.

I have also found inversion boots calm down the lumbar region and the hips.

Good luck!
(Im hoping to get some inserts for my shoes for this)

Why isnt rest an option?

Hawkman,

Check out mobility wod, this one inparticularly would apply to you

http://www.mobilitywod.com/2010/09/heel-cords-of-cheetah-achilles-well.html

By the sounds of your issue you would get some benefit from working with a lacrosse ball and bands around your hips. Good idea to use the search on this site and work through it. At my gym I have people working these issues daily and it makes a huge difference. If you want to see improvements, you have to work at it, multiple times a day

thanks alix gonna take a look at that

ACTUALLY ALREADY HAD A FEW OF THOSE FROM THE PODIATRIST . buggerig achilles

the pain will go with rest but the min you start back training the pain will be back ,someone told me you could get tablets from the doctor not sure if this is true but im about to find out myself . iv stopped skipping and running as theses two exercizes seem to aggrevate the problem , my problem comes from my calf muscle .

The pain will be felt in the calf (gastroc/soleus) as they insert onto the calcaneus via the achilles tendon.

The pain will still be present at rest but should be less than when you active. In extreme cases walking through the correct heel/toe strike will be painful, leading to toe walking to stop the calf from having to stretch.

Taking pain killers and commencing gentle rehab, not sure what medication the doctor would prescribe other than a stronger pain killer, no miracle cures.

Good luck!

K :)

mines got better over the past few weeks. just gotta use ice massage and diclofenac gel and be obsessive with the stretching. i am down about 60 % on the pain. get your shoes looked at as well.

my lower legs seem to be totaly messed up now. shin splints, sides of calves, everything in spasm.