Pain on right side of Achilles near ankle

Training Advice/Discussion Marathon

5 years ago 07/16/2018 1:58pm EDT

So I have some pain on the outside of my right Achilles about two or three inches above the heel, pinching the Achilles here is painful although it warms up once I start running. It’s sore again in the morning but will warm up after a mile or so. I am late thirties male 135 lbs and run about 50 mpw, mostly marathon training.

I’m confident I could continue to run on it, as that doesn’t hurt after the first mile or so, but I don’t want it to develop into something else. Would love to hear from anyone who had this.

5 years ago 07/17/2018 8:32am EDT

re: Heel This

It could be bursitis. Sometimes the bursa between the achilles and the heel can get inflamed and the pain can be on the outside of the achilles versus on the achilles itself. Rest and ice although you're not going to hurt the achilles any more because it's just the bursa and not the tendon.

5 years ago 07/17/2018 9:42am EDT

re: Heel This

It sounds too high on the tendon to be bursitis, as the other respondent suggested. The bursas are closer to where the achilles inserts at the heel.

I'd recommend continuing to run at a tolerable level and starting eccentric heel stretches (heel drops -- see Youtube for demos) right away.

See how it responds to that. If the pain subsides during runs, as you indicated, I think the eccentric drops will probably give you some relief and prevent the damage from worsening.

5 years ago 07/17/2018 11:29am EDT

re: Taro

With some closer examination, I noticed the following.

There is definitely swelling in the right Achilles, it hurts during the pinch test, but is ok during runs. I think doing the eccentric drops and icing can control it, but I’m older and am worried about it degenerating into something worse.

Also, at the outer part of the heel there is a slight bump, but it doesn’t really hurt too much when pressed. This has caused some discomfort during runs. It’s not Haglund level bad, but it’s there if you look for it. I need to control that also.

I’m more worried about the Achilles degenerating. Maybe I’ll take just another week of rest before kicking into fall marathon training.

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Pain on right side of Achilles near ankle

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