• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Click here to download the  free ebook of Alberto Juantorena’s  detailed training workouts leading up to the 1976 Montreal Olympics

SpeedEndurance.com

Success in Track & Field ... and Life

  • Home
    • About
    • Contact
  • Track & Field
    • 400 meters
    • 800m & Mile
    • 1/2 & Full Marathons
    • Long & Triple Jump
    • Hurdles
  • Training
    • Weight Training
    • Abs & Core
    • Injury Prevention
    • Shoes & Spikes
    • Masters
  • Coaching
    • Freelap Friday Five
    • Interviews
    • Sports Nutrition
    • Sport Psychology
  • Archives
  • Shop
    • My account
    • Checkout
    • Basket

Achilles Tendonitis: Injuries, Rehab and Cures (Part 1)

You are here: Home / Coaching / Achilles Tendonitis: Injuries, Rehab and Cures (Part 1)
20
SHARES
FacebookTwitter

July 25, 2011 by Jimson Lee 11 Comments

Last Updated on July 10, 2014 by Amir Rehman

This is part 1 of a multi part series on Achilles tendon injuries.  Lyle McDonald would understand the multi-part format, heh heh.

I will look into all the aspects of the injury cycle, the how’s and why’s, pros and cons of each phase.

Those who know me know I’ve been suffering from Achilles tendonitis for years now.  I’ve tried them all except one last solution which I am currently experimenting with (you’ll see them in upcoming YouTube videos).

But first, let’s look at a typical training and injury cycle:

 

  1. You are healthy and start training
  2. You body is not balanced and possibly overcompensate other parts if the body
  3. You are tired or doing too much volume (i.e. too much, too fast , too soon syndrome)
  4. You get injured.  This is bad.
  5. You do rehab to stop the pain and swelling.  You ice, take drugs (NSAIDs), stretch, do physio, low level laser and all that jazz
  6. You decrease your training (or simply do nothing, for days, weeks, months?)
  7. You get better and start training again

vicious-achilles-cycle.jpg

Do you see a pattern here?

I see a vicious cycle, so unless you attack the ROOT CAUSE of the problem, you will always go in circles.

To make a silly analogy:

You see a puddle of water on the kitchen floor.  You can mop up the floor from the leak, or fix the pipes that causes the leak.  (or do both)

Once you get better, if you continuously do the same thing (i.e. mopping up the floor), it will re-appear again. Then the vicious cycle starts all over again.

See also  Achilles Tendon Cures: Stabilization (Part 4)

Thus you have to find and address the root cause of the problem.

If you hurt your Achilles, 2 things can happen.  The most common Achilles tendon injuries are (1) Achilles tendinosis or Achilles tendinopathy (formerly called Achilles tendonitis) and (2) Achilles tendon rupture.

Achilles tendon ruptures or tears, can be full ruptures or partial ruptures, and that is very bad news.  Unless you have the multi-million dollar medical support staff like Donovan Bailey, I doubt a full recovery.

If you suffer from Achilles tendinosis or tendonitis, how severe is it?  Where are you at?

I’ll break it down to 4 stages.

The 4 Stages

 

  1. No pain during exercise, but there is some discomfort or stiffness in the morning getting out of bed in the morning.
  2. Pain or discomfort during exercise or running, but performance is not affected. The stiffness when first getting out of bed continues to disappear shortly afterward.  You may feeling stiff before workout, but as you warm up, the pain goes away.  Pinching the Achilles tendon with the forefinger and thumb is slightly painful, but tolerable.
  3. Pain during exercise or running that is detrimental to performance.  Doing tempo on the grass still hurts your Achilles, so instead you modify a heel-toe running style like a distance runner.
  4. Hurts way too much to walk or run.  Pinching the Achilles tendon with the forefinger and thumb is totally excruciating.  Everywhere you go, you hobble.

To be continued…

Category iconCoaching,  Injury Prevention,  Track & Field Tag iconAchilles Tendinitis

About Jimson Lee

I am a Masters Athlete and Coach currently based in London UK. My other projects include the Bud Winter Foundation, writer for the IAAF New Studies in Athletics Journal (NSA) and a member of the Track & Field Writers of America.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Anthony Wallace says

    July 25, 2011 at 6:59 am

    Please keep this up, I am very interested and thinking of making a trip to NC where Mike Young is training a friend of mine Jade Ellis who is coming back from a horrible achillies injury and he had a process done im looking into as well. I have a PR of 7.75m in the long jump with a 7.96w that kept me out of the 2004 trials. This injury has kept me out of alot of competions the last 2 years and im trying to get my body in great shape to compete this year.

    Reply
    • Jimson Lee says

      July 26, 2011 at 1:07 pm

      @Anthony – Mike Y is a knowlegable guy, so he should be able to help. Those are damn good credentials for LJ. Some more strength & power, consistency at meets, being injury free, and a bit more top speed on the runway and you are looking at 8.40 – 8.50.

      Reply
  2. buzooti says

    July 25, 2011 at 3:58 pm

    I am coming up on my 1-year anniversary of ATR (surgery on 07/30/2010). I ruptured completely at the 2010 USATF Masters Nationals in the M40 100M. I know “the cycle” well. Due to the frustration caused by this cycle, my rupture was an unexpected relief as I was forced to “fix the pipes that causes the leak…”

    I have had 11 races since May 2011 and my repaired achilles is fine. Much can be accomplished with PATIENCE and hard work. That said, I do need to focus on my fitness and speed.

    I look forward to the upcoming parts of this article.

    Reply
    • Jimson Lee says

      July 26, 2011 at 1:09 pm

      @buzooti, wow, one year and you are back. You are brave. But you hit it on the haed.. patience and lot of physio and rehab. Hyperbaric chambers help, too, if you have access to it.

      Reply
    • Alison Wood says

      June 21, 2012 at 8:48 pm

      Hi Buzooti!

      My name is Alison Wood. I am a masters athlete and I am dealing with an AT issue. Is there any way that I can email you directly? I have some pretty big goals for this season and I need advice from someone who has been there.

      Thanks!

      -Alison

      Reply
  3. Rod C says

    July 25, 2011 at 7:14 pm

    Achilles injuries affect a great number of master athletes. We currently have 4 out of our 10 most consistent runners with problems. I am 42 and have been suffering with reoccurring Achilles injuries for over 7 years missing many major titles in Australia because of them. Your 4 stage description pretty much sums up were I was at our National Titles in April this year having to pull out of the 200m final after finishing second in the 60m (7.48) and 100m (11.8). I’m a 400m runner so my times were pretty good for me.

    I am back on the track and starting to run pretty well again with the least amount of pain that I can recall. The pinch test is virtually pain free with no pain in the morning. What I did after the Nats to improve my Achilles.

    5 weeks of no running with daily routine of progressive eccentric calf loading. This got me to a point to get back on the track however I still had some pain and soreness in the morning after training.

    Started nerve stretching about 4 weeks ago. Gentle nerve stretching 3 times per day has allowed me to get back to 3 track sessions per week pretty much pain free. (a little calf tightness only)

    I have been abel to complete some pretty tough session. last week 5x 200m in 30sec with 2minutes rest between each. smashed :)

    Reply
  4. buzooti says

    July 26, 2011 at 8:54 am

    Rod C.,

    I also have had good results with the progressive eccentric calf loading. That said, I believe the rest (with no running) is critical.

    Pardon my ignorance, what is nerve stretching?

    Reply
    • Jimson Lee says

      July 26, 2011 at 1:15 pm

      for a sneak peak of the upcoming rehab/physio exercises, I uploaded them onto my YouTube Channel.

      http://www.youtube.com/user/speedendurance

      Do Part 1 (the heel drop) first, then Part 2 (eccentric squat and reach). I’ll be posting the details in upcoming articles.

      Reply
  5. Rod C says

    July 26, 2011 at 6:36 pm

    buzooti,

    Yes I believe the eccentric calf loading to be critical even when resting from running.
    As for the nerve stretching most physio’s will perform it using the slump position however for my Achilles I prefer to do it sitting on the floor. Basically, its a seated one leg hamstring stretch but with the knee slightly bent to take the stretch out of the hamstring and placing it more in the calf. Gently pulling the toes back holding for a count of 15 to 20sec then releasing. I do 3-4 each side 2-3 times per day.
    The key for me is to get the stretch in the calf and not the hamstring.

    Great site Jimson

    Reply
  6. Charmaine says

    January 15, 2013 at 11:34 pm

    Does it hurt doing eccentric? I feel pain in my Achilles while performing them. I’m not sure whether to continue.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Primary Sidebar

Recommended

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xbs-aWxyLk

Shop Our Store

  • Bud Winter (9)
  • Championship Productions (6)
  • Clyde Hart (2)
  • Derek Hansen (1)
  • Electrical Muscle Stimulation (2)
  • Jim Hiserman (6)
  • Jimson Lee (4)
  • Uncategorised (0)

Articles by Category

Products

  • Jim Hiserman - Developing 800m Runners: Identifying, Categorizing and Developing 400m-800m Type Athletes $42.99 $39.99
  • Private Coaching - Monthly Plan $600.00 $525.00
  • Jim Hiserman-Developing-Distance-Runnersv2 Jim Hiserman - Developing Distance Runners Volume 2: A Systematic Approach to Developing Individual Success within a Dynamic Team Culture $34.95 $29.95
  • Feed-the-Cats-Clinic-3-Pack-701 'Feed the Cats' Clinic 3-Pack $64.99
  • Tony Holler's Feed the Cats": A Complete Sprint Training Program Tony Holler's "Feed the Cats" Complete Sprint Training Program $49.99
  • Bud Winter and Speed City presents Arthur Lydiard 509x716 Bud Winter & Arthur Lydiard MP3 [Download only] $9.99

RECENT POSTS

  • Oregon22 Coaches Club now Online
  • IFAC 2022: The Return of In-Person Conferences (with Virtual option)
  • Here is our 400m Discussion Recording… over 2 Hours Long
  • The Best Free Coaching Book – post Beijing 2022 Olympics
  • The Ultimate 400m Track Webinar for Coaches & Athletes
  • NACAC Athletics Coaching Science Series 2022
  • Top Six 400m Predictor Workouts (Number 4 is my Favourite)
  • Best 6 Podcasts for 2021 (and Beyond)
  • Why Karsten Warholm’s 45.94 400mH WR is my Highlight of 2021
  • Sprinting: 10 Research Articles for Effective Sprint Training [Part 23]

Copyright © 2023. SpeedEndurance.com is owned and operated by Aryta Ltd. Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy
Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
Manage Cookie Consent
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behaviour or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Manage options Manage services Manage vendors Read more about these purposes
View preferences
{title} {title} {title}