vfbbdf wrote:
I think we have to distinguish between insertional and regular tendonitis. I've read studies (don't have the time to insert link, sorry) that say the heel drops don't work as well for insertional achilles tendonitis.
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And if you are going to do the heel drops, STOP if you feel any pain. It's a good preventative measure but I think some people are too aggressive and do them during the acute phase of the injury.
On the contrary, do NOT stop if you feel pain (well, okay, don't be an idiot and injure yourself more, LOL!). But you will feel pain while doing this exercise. Good grief, Alfredson was trying to rupture his Achilles when he instead rehabilitated them and launched heel drops as an Achilles treatment!
vfbbdf is probably correct that you wouldn't want to do heel drops during acute Achilles tendinitis--that's when the injury comes on suddenly and is accompanied by inflammation. But most Achilles pain is caused by Achilles tendinosis, in which you have chronic pain without the inflammation. You are going to hurt at the lower end of the heel drop--but it won't help if you don't go to that depth.
For Achilles insertion injuries (often diagnosed as Achilles bursitis), the word is that you should do the drops on a level plane (e.g., the floor) and only drop to that level. I tried that. It didn't work. So I did the full drops for 7 months (well, I still do them, but it took 7 months for them to correct the problem completely). And now the problem is gone (for 1.5 years now), after I'd suffered terribly for 6 years.
They aren't for everyone. But when nothing else works....