Crunchy Achilles

4 watchers

KinkyS Feb 2013 12:28pm, 19 Feb 2013 16,836 posts	0 KinkyS I've got a chronic Achilles problem, and it is manageable with pretty much what Naomi suggests - ice, ibu, stretching, rolling, massage etc, plus a sensible(ish) approach to mileage. My physio knew there was no point saying 'don't run' so he is teaching me how to work around it as a permanent but partial injury. I still wear heels, I still run ultras I was on citalopram for ages, and the advice I got was that I could take a small amount of ibu for short periods to manage acute pain, but not as a long term thing for days on end because it can cause stomach bleeding/ulcers. On their own either can be quite harsh on the stomach, so together there is a risk they will have a combined effect. So if you need it for your wedding day as a one off or just to manage the pain for a couple of days until the initial symptoms wear off that should be OK (I'm not a doc though, this is just what my doc said.)
Autumnleaves Feb 2013 12:43pm, 19 Feb 2013 1,779 posts	0 Autumnleaves I had a severe achilles problem 4 years ago - I was training quite hard for my usual Manchester 10k - did a 10k training run 2 weeks before race day at what was then my fastest pace, as I neared home thought 'my ankle hurts a bit', got home and within half an hour couldn't walk. I took 2 weeks off running - did the usual ibuprofen (gel) and support bandage, and bought new running shoes. (When I looked at the pair I had I realised they were badly worn on the side that hurt). I still ran the 10k 2 weeks later - with gritted teeth and a fair amount of pain, which was a bit stupid. I then stopped running for 3 months - doing cross-training in the gym instead. (Rowing was good). Since then I know my core is much stronger & I keep a sharp eye on my shoes, but I haven't had any problems since.
Plodder54 Feb 2013 1:07pm, 19 Feb 2013 170 posts	0 Plodder54 I`ve been back running for two years, after five years of problems with both my achilles. The best advice I can give is stop running and give it complete rest, when its comfortable to walk on regain the strength in it with long steady walks and do some heel raise`s to strengthen the muscles in your lower legs. Also the advice above about the state of your shoes is worth taking and on the shoe subject are you wearing the correct ones for your style of running if not get your gait analysed
KinkyS Feb 2013 1:14pm, 19 Feb 2013 16,837 posts	0 KinkyS Heel raises will only work if there is underlying weakness. I'm not supposed to do them because my issues stem from tightness and heel raises would at best do nothing and could make things worse. I need to devote my time to flexibility and mobility instead as I have all the strength I need. Make sure you know what the cause is before trying to fix it.
andr3wht Feb 2013 9:29pm, 26 Feb 2013 5 posts	0 andr3wht I trained through crunchy achilles without initially, too much in the way of problems. (It was largely brought on by an un-wise exercise combination of a 7-mile hilly tempo run followed by an hour of squash 45 mins later, the day after an hour of 5-aside football) On warming up it got better. If it goes away after a mile, i figured, it ain't worth worrying about. However after several months (and a full-on half marathon pb effort) it suddenly changed from crunchy to sharp stabbing pain on a 7 mile "recovery" run, on 1 side. I figured it was probably a small tear in the tendon (it may not have been) and I stopped running. I was 4 weeks out from the Lakeland 50 and I decided on a long taper approach. On the day everything was fine. Race pace was slow because of the terrain so despite the hills the achilles wasn't really stressed, but it seemed to have healed. I still get the crunchiness coming back for about a day after any sort of intense speedwork, and then it goes away again, and i similarly struggle with combining a long run with 'time on my feet' in any one day. I did try some CrossFit but figured this was aggravating the injury (box jumps anyone!) I never take painkillers and the like but regular stretching of the calfs, seemed to help me the most for allowing me to control it.