Stretching an Achilles Injury

Do NOT ever stretch an injury!

An injured area is already weak and compromised - stretching would injure it more!

I had an "achilles injury" for 1.5 years.

This is just my opinion, but I 100% believe these statements to be true about rehabbing an achilles injury after failing miserably for a year and a half.

1)There is an acute phase and chronic phase of the injury and each must be treated completely differently.

2)Acute phase is defined by tenderness of any amount in the achilles when walking or stretching it. During this phase the tendon and muscle are both likely torn to different degrees. Avoid any and all activity.

3) After a week or two (or three) this tenderness and sharp pain will be replaced by a subtle, dull discomfort that isnt really painful. This is the start of the chronic phase. Take a few days or a week of walking and gentle jogging for 20-50 meters at a time to make sure that you are not in danger of falling back into acutely injuring your achilles again. I spent 1.49 years in this phase.

4)Once you have safely determined over multiple days-week of gentle exercise that your achilles is no longer acutely injured, begin rehabbing.

5) For me heel drops did nothing, I did them for over a year and they never felt any different. It should be noted that the heel drop study indicates that the heel drops did significantly help people but over 1.5 years time.

6) In my opinion, the best way to rehab is to run with an exacerbated leaning forward stride and extra long stride. Key is to make sure that your foot strike is behind you.

calf raises (heel drops) always help me within a few days when I get achilles problems. if they didn't help you, maybe you weren't doing them right. I didn't do them right at first (the slow heel drop is the key, and then you can add weight) and they didn't work very well until I did them right.

Acute phase (pain with single leg heel raise, pain with stretching, pain with walking)-don't stretch it, especially do not do the heel drops.

Sub acute phase (pain with running only, no pain with heel raise, no pain with stretching)-then stretching is ok, low resistance strengthening is ok.

I've had an achilles injury 3 years ago and a week ago.

Stretch your calf above the achilles, do not try to stretch the achilles if it is torn or if there is a very sharp pain.

I found on runs that when I stopped to stretch the pain would go away for a few minutes before it came back.

Both times I was injured, I tried to run on it for about an extra 3 weeks and it came to the point where I took about a week off and started back VERY easily. I don't know how one could have an achilles injury for 1.5 years unless they tore it or failed to give it proper rest.

Calf raises will do wonders, start out doing them on the floor, then work your way to doing them with your heels hanging off the edge of a stair on a staircase.

Ice is great for it and make sure you use your hand to massage any scar tissue (bumps on the achilles). As long as you keep these two tasks up and wear heel inserts, the injury shouldn't last too long. I credit a lot of my recovery to ibuprofen as well.

So all in all, if you tore it, don't stretch. If you have tendonits, a little bit of stretching after runs will help.

Achilles pain wrote:

I have been told by doctors and trainers that it is ok to stretch and other doctors say do not stretch.

You have seen four or more doctors about this??

the smartest letsrunner wrote:

Achilles pain wrote:

I have been told by doctors and trainers that it is ok to stretch and other doctors say do not stretch.

You have seen four or more doctors about this??

I have read articles from doctors on the subject. I have personally seen one trainer and one doctor.

I had the pain and stopped right away. I only took a few days off then started running on an Alt-G. I got better to the point where I had no pain on the Alt-G. Now I am outside running and I get pain in the last 2 or 3 miles on an 8 mile run. I feel only a slight pain when I stretch. Thats why I was wondering if it was a good idea to stretch. I have had the injury about 4 weeks now. I run in heel lifts as well.

The funny part is that I have done 2 hard workouts with heel lifts in my flats and I feel no pain on those days. I only feel the pain at the end of an 8 mile run when im running 7 minute pace. I dont understand why that is. Anybody else have the same experience with workouts.