Got pain in your heel? Let's see if it could be Achilles Tendinitis....
Signs & Symptoms of Achilles Tendinitis are pain in your heel about 2 to 6 cm above the tendon insertion into the heel. Usually this pain is in the morning first thing and sharp or burning pain that increases with more vigorous activity. Weak calves can be the cause as can high arches, flat feet, poor footwear, poor flexibility, lateral ankle instability, or errors in training along with leg length discrepancies, age, or prior injuries. Running uphill increases the load on your calves and Achilles, so if you do a lot of running be sure you are properly warming up and stretching your calves.
If you have Achilles Tendinitis you can control the pain and inflammation by "ice" (ice, compression, elevation) as well as doing calf raises and stretching. Beyond that, be sure you are utilizing proper training techniques, proper footwear, and are at the proper weight for your height. Know that if you do not mend and instead push through the pain you could be risking an Achilles rupture. Just as with overtraining, overstretching is just as bad and can cause irritation to the musculotendinous unit. Aim for restoring proper length to the calf muscles to decrease symptoms without overexertion.
Excellent calf stretches are:
*Standing lunge with the back foot heel pressed into the floor for at least 6 breaths;
*Standing lunge with the back foot heel pressed into the floor and back knee bent (this takes the stretch further into your heel) for at least 6 breaths;
*Standing on a step with one heel hanging off for at least 6 breaths.
Hello! I got your blog info from Lisa Troyer because I am having this issue today! It started on Tuesday after a 3.5 mile run. Yesterday I cross trained with a bit of running but mostly walking and noticed my Achilles tendon was aching. Today I did another 3.4 run and it was really achy. Tomorrow is a scheduled rest day for me as I am supposed to run 5 miles on Saturday. I have been off of my feet most of the day and have been icing it. Do you think if I stay off it tomorrow and ice it that I can run Sat? Or will I have to lay off running for awhile? Hate to stop running as I am about one month into training for a 1/2 marathon.....but I don't want to end up with a major injury either.
ReplyDeleteA couple of questions:
ReplyDelete1) Are you well conditioned? Have you been working out regularly for at least 3 months prior to beginning your training?
2) Have you been running prior to training for the 1/2 marathon?
If not, then it could be the achiness is a result of too much too quickly and you need to back off training and go at a slower progression toward your goal. Be sure you are dynamically warming up before your runs and stretching after and next day and that you are ball striking instead of heel striking. If you are not already strength training, you might want to consider adding in at least two days of resistance training to strengthen your lower body, particularly your calves.
If yes, then it could be overuse and yes I would recommend taking a few days break before heading back out. Same response regarding warm up, ball strike, stretching, and strength training.