Talk Cancer » Cancer Institute » Getting rid of AT – once and for all
Getting rid of AT – once and for all
Question:
I’ve had Achilles Tendon pain for over a year now and I’ve learned somewhat to control it in that time. Lately, I’ve tried to up my weekly mileage and my AT has flared up. I’m back to RICE and Aleve and such, but I’m also going to take some time off running. I’d like to try to get rid of this once and for all – if that’s possible. I’m looking for some ideas on how much time I should take off. Two weeks? Two months? Also, any success on alternative ways to stay in shape? What does biking do to the AT? Thanks much, Bill
Response:
I’ve had Achilles Tendon pain for over a year now and I’ve learned somewhat to control it in that time. Lately, I’ve tried to up my weekly mileage and my AT has flared up. I’m back to RICE and Aleve and such, but I’m also going to take some time off running. I’d like to try to get rid of this once and for all – if that’s possible. I’m looking for some ideas on how much time I should take off. Two weeks? Two months? Also, any success on alternative ways to stay in shape? What does biking do to the AT? Bill Tendons for all intent and purposes are not suppose to stretch. The
muscles above the Achilles tendon, soleus and gastrocs are suppose to do what muscles do: Contract and relax. Your calf muscles are contracting but only partially relaxing. When a knot in the calf occurs it tightens up to protect itself and won’t let go when you stretch it. If you continue to stretch, you stretch the good muscle fiber on either side of the knot. It, over time, gets over stretched and joins the knot. The end result is that you end up saying, stretching doesn’t work. It would if only you could stretch the knot. First work out the knot in the calf. Sit down. To find it, put your belly
of the calf muscle over the knee of the other leg. Move the knee back and forth in the belly of the calf and you should find the knot. Remember when a muscle is sore and contracts, in the contracted state it doesn’t let you know it’s sore, until you start to feel around. Put your calf muscle over your knee, a railing, the back of a chair.
Remember it’s the back of the calf muscle. You put the belly of the muscle over the back of the chair, or railing or knee. Slowly (lovingly) rotate it back and forth, that is side to side about a inch. Slowly move(slide) the leg up or down the back of the chair, etc. so that you "lovingly massage side to side the entire belly of the calf. Remember it you go too deep, too fast, too hard, you will only get the
muscle to tighten up even more—getting the opposite of what you want. But remember your body is a system, so you may take the pressure off the
Achilles, but the calf may be due to an overly tight shin muscle which only partially relaxes when the calf muscles are contracting, causing the calf problem. And the shin may be cause by the quad or ham from the other leg being tight so that you get more impact on the leg with the calf problem caused by the shin problem caused by….. And the reality may be due to the way you sit at your desk all day in poor posture which causes….. Anyway, see if you can massage out the calf to relieve the Achilles. Then
you can slowly start to think about the form and style of running. Let me know how it goes with the calf. Remember, what I’m sharing is
folklore. That is, if it works use it. If it doesn’t, don’t give it any energy, Just chuck it out and look for something that makes more sense and works. Remember "DO NO HARM"
If you’re interested in discussing running form and its effect on your Achilles Tendon, drop me a line. — In health and on the run, Ozzie Gontang Maintainer-rec.running FAQ Director, San Diego Marathon Clinic, est. 1975
Response:
: I’m looking for some ideas on how much time I should take off. Two : weeks? Two months? Also, any success on alternative ways to stay : in shape? What does biking do to the AT? Time off will vary with the individual. I aggravated mine this spring (cycling, as I am a bicycle racer – I just run in the off season) and I was off for three weeks. It will depend on the severity. Things I did that helped (I think): 1) Wear heel lifts in your everyday shoes and limit the amount of walking around you do in bare feet. 2) Ice massage once or twice per day and always after activity. 3) Use heat (like a warm soak) to warm the area before any workouts. 4) Limit use of ibuprofen/Advil to post-activity if you can. As far as cycling with AT goes, give it a try. From my experience, having your seat a little high will aggravate the condition. At the bottom of the pedal stroke the toe will be down wrt the heel and the back of the shoe will put pressure on the AT. This is what caused my problems. Also, if it is cold out and you are wearing booties, watch that the zipper at the back doesn’t rub on the area excessively. Good luck, Eric. — Dept. of Medical Physics phone: (403)432-8618 Cross Cancer Institute fax: (403)432-8615 11560 University Avenue Edmonton, Alberta T6G 1Z2
Response:
And I thought the subject was referring to removing the resident trollester Abhay from the newsgroup!! Have a good weekend Mark