I have been doing the heel drops that others have suggested on here. I also plan on doing a walk/run method when I start running again. My question is when I should start that. How do I know that my Achilles is ready for running again? Are there any tests I can do?
Check the strength of your achilles by raising up on your toes of the affected leg (without your other foot touching the ground). If you can do the one-legged toe raise without feeling weak it is a pretty good indication of achilles health (according to my podiatrist who had me do this while recovering from a tear). If you feel weak or wobbly, give it more time. It's good to do the one-legged toe raise with your good foot too so that you have an indication of how each leg compares to each other. You might think the bad achilles feels ok until you realize the other one feels much stronger.
Be extra cognizant of it when you resume running. If you feel any tightness or discomfort, don't run through it. Good luck.
Thanks, I'll try that tonight!
That's good advice. I know for me it was really uncomfortable to raise my one leg on its toes during the injury even in the later stages.
For my Achilles injury, I waited to begin a return-to-running program until I was able to take the first few steps in the morning without any pain or stiffness. I also graduated from doing just the eccentric heel drops to a full calf raise, slow and controlled. Before beginning a walk/jog program, I also made sure I could do several single-leg hopping drills (forwards/backwards, side-to-side) without any pain or discomfort.
Besides the eccentric heel drops, I would say the two treatments that helped my recovery the most were ASTYM sessions, which can be done at home with a spoon and coconut oil, and self-massage of the tendon (pinching with the thumb and forefinger). Both of which, if done properly, should be fairly uncomfortable but not intolerable.
I took a normal dosage of NSAID (Ibuprofen) and iced/heated regularly.
Watch the shoes you run it. Apparently over built soft shoe are fatal to the achilles tendon.
river styxx wrote:
Watch the shoes you run it. Apparently over built soft shoe are fatal to the achilles tendon.
Interesting. I have been having Achilles problems and I recently switched to the Asics Nimbus 18.
river styxx wrote:
Watch the shoes you run it. Apparently over built soft shoe are fatal to the achilles tendon.
So far just pseudoscience. It may be true, but there is no proof or solid evidence of that. The shoe companies that sell minimalist shoes have produced a little tobacco-scientist inspired evidence, but nothing else is out there.
Just be super careful. Although I did Graston, ART, eccentric lifts, stretching, icing, etc for months, nothing helped. Finally a DPM had an ultrasound done and found that I have a partially torn achilles tendon. So now I am in a walking boot for probably 6 weeks. Better than the alternative of a torn Achilles and needing surgery.
I have the same question. I have been doing all the normal stuff listed hear and I can now walk pain free and can even jog. I'm hesitant to run because my achilles is still sore to the touch and it still hurts when I've been sitting for a long time.
injqu wrote:
I have been doing the heel drops that others have suggested on here. I also plan on doing a walk/run method when I start running again. My question is when I should start that. How do I know that my Achilles is ready for running again? Are there any tests I can do?
I had an achilles issue 6 months ago. I ran through it and, for some reason, it just went away even though I changed nothing.
For you, if you have no pain, just slowly ease back in to running. Go for easy jogs and increase mileage intensity as long as you have no pain. If you do feel pain, I would recommend immediately backing off.
Are you treating this without professional guidance? There are a lot of variables that may at play. Not saying it couldn't just be a self-treatable niggle, but you could unknowingly dig yourself into a deeper hole if one of those variables possibly exists that was not addressed. Best advice is to get it checked out by a good sports med physician.
I will second that. I believe that you increase the chances running in the highly cushioned shoes which do not force your foot to go through the complete push off cycle and targets all of the load on the achilles and not the calf
I don't agree with waiting until you don't have pain during the first few steps in the morning; if I waited for that, I'd never run, but I've been running every day for years (and did 6 marathons last year) with chronic Achillies Tendonosis, as long as I do those eccentric heels drops every day, and wear shoes with a minimum 9 mm heel drop.
Back when I had to take a month or so off because of my Achillies, when I thought it was safe to start running again, I would do the walk/run thing. The Achillies area is notorious for poor blood flow, so after I would get warmed up, it would hurt LESS (not at all). If it kept hurting after 15-20 minutes, it meant I wasn't ready to start running again.
I should also mention that sometimes if I make my Achillies worse by doing too many hills etc and it's quite painful, I sleep in a night splint made especially for Achillies Tendonitis, (it forces your toes to point just slightly upward, to stretch your calf and heel) and it's amazing how well that thing works. I only paid maybe $60 for it; worth every penny.