Calf/achilles pain (Read 3224 times)

For the last few weeks I've had a low level of pain in my right upper achilles/lower calf area when landing/pushing off while walking or running. A couple of weeks off helped some, but it's still there. It decreases some after it's warmed up then remains the same after that. The next day it is noticeably worse. This isn't that bad but it's one of those things that I don't want to run through. Do these symptoms sound familiar to anyone? Since it decreases after warmup I'm thinking tendon?

Yep, that's what I had. Don't push it! I went to a physical therapist, who said if I'd waited longer, it might have gone from acute to chronic. He gave me some treatments and exercises, which really helped. This happened in early June, and I'm at probably 95% now. I was told not to run for a couple of weeks, and then to start back VERY slowly - you can see from my log how gradually I got back into things. I was also told not to run two days in a row for quite awhile, and to avoid hills. I'm finding that I can do a long run, but if I try two days in a row, my achilles bothers me again.

Has anyone tried the heel lifts? They were recommended to me by a knowledgable runner friend. Going to give them a try. I am the OP of the achilles tendonitis post linked above.

As they say been there and done that. Used heel lifts, altered shoes, stayed clear of hills, religously used The Stick and a foam roller....... nothing helped. After fighting this thing for several years and one recent major bout after the CMM, this is what worked for me. BTW - I saw several physicians (one of which treats the Colts and Pacers players so he might know a thing or two about sports stuff) and had several tests prior to this to make sure I did not have a major tear or tendon defect that required medical attention. The doctors call was achilles tendinitis and no major structural damage I used trigger point therapy and self massage. The problem was a tight gastro and tighter soleus muscle with many micro knots (I'm sure there is a technical name but I'm not doc). What I did was work specifically on these areas to relieve the knots and when I couldn't get there I found a sports massage therapist to provide ART+ ultrasound. After a month or so of this, my troubles with the achilles were gone. Mind you, walking down the stairs in my house in the morning was an adventure - now no more. My maintenance program includes self massage daily (usually while I'm wasting time watching the idiot box aka tv) for about ten minutes (calf as well as the area around the tendon), light/easy stretching pre and post runs, running easy on all days except races or my one day per week of a hard workout, eccentric excercise 3x per week for about 10 minutes. This might not solve your problem but IMHO it is worth a look. Nothing worse than achilles problems for a runner. Sorry for being long winded but this one has taken several years for me to solve. Good luck.

Thanks. One good thing about being an engineer, they teach you research. I just learned through talking with runners, doctors, PTs, massage therapists and reading. The trigger point information is right from here http://www.triggerpointbook.com/index.html. This thing really works. I bought the book last year and swear by the advice in here. As for the Active Release Therapy at the PT's. This involves moving along the lines of the muscle and working out the knots. Normal process for me, but for stubborn cases they use something akin to a putty knife to really work the muscles. Not very comfortable during but feels awesome after. I've had Cross Frictional massage as well. This is where the PT goes across the fibers. Very uncomfortable but it also breaks up those stubborn "knots" For my self-massage, I try to feel for knots. Some are easy and others are hard to find. Once you find them, you can pinch down and hold or use slight movement along the fiber. Both are uncomfortable during the time for me, but feel great after. Much like what you described for your back. Some of these techniques are beaten down by folks, but I've spent time in the Orient and one thing you learn is that non-traditional does not mean non-functional. An open mind has helped me find some very good health advice. Good luck.

I'd just like to re-emphasize that it's best not to try to run through this injury. Here's a nice thread from over at letsrun.