Achilles tendonitis (I think) -- comfort me <needyface>

[BIoodyStupidJohnson]

I think I've got achilles tendonitis (or tendinitis, or tendonopathy, or tendonosis, or whatever they're calling it this week).

Basically, my left achilles tendon feels tender/hurts if I pinch it. Most of the rest of the time it doesn't hurt, but I am conscious of some stiffness and a slight limp first thing in the morning, and sometimes there's a little pain around my ankle and towards the lower part of my calf (really low, I mean where the calf muscle meets the tendon) when I walk up hills. And I live in Edinburgh, on a hill, so I walk up them a lot.

Sometimes, especially after a warm bath, I can see a kind of small dink/dent in the tendon moving up and down when I flex my foot. (Again, it doesn't hurt unless I pinch it.) When I say small, I mean less than half a centimetre.

I've done the calf-squeeze test, and my foot moves, so the tendon doesn't seem to be ruptured. At least not fully.

And there's no swelling, bruising or redness or cramping-type feeling, and my legs are equal size to each other.

So my non-expert mind is thinking achilles tendonitis.

Thing is, I've been kind of ignoring it for months. I think I did the initial injury last year I jumped into PE With Joe and a Peloton regime without warming up properly, naughty me because I can remember both tendons hurting quite a lot. At the time, I just thought I was unfit and inflexible and should train through it.

Anyone else had this? If it becomes a chronic thing and I'm talking nine months, realistically is there hope? I've had to ease off the workouts for the time being, just doing low-impact work and stretching until I can see a physio.

It's not mega-painful but it is annoying and I feel like it's impacting how I walk around, which feels pretty fundamental. Not to mention the restrictions it's put on my training.

Hopeful bump for the evening crowd, who might be more susceptible to injury than the daytime athletes. 😬

It doesn’t sound like it’s bothering you much? Are you worried about it getting worse? If it only really hurts when you pinch it, then - don’t pinch it? 😄

I had full blown Achilles tendonitis with added bursitis. There’s pretty much bugger all you can do to fix it, it just takes time to heal. It took two years.

I have AT that flares up once in a while.
For me it's been trial & error figuring out what aggravates it -- so not to do that.
first time I was about 25 & after that I don't think I had it again until age 50. You're not doomed.

I think that there is evidence that heel dips can make a big improvement (15 reps 3 times a day from memory - it was quite a lot, you might need to work up to it).

Heel dip = stand on a step (use your stairs!). Put you weight on one foot and lower your heel below the step, then take weight on both feet as you raise to tiptoe. You are basically trying to put your tendon through full range of motion.

I read it in a running book so it must be true.

Also getting good balance it great for ankle strength & protection. Work up to standing on one leg eyes closed for a minute.

[Off to do heel dips]

Apols for typos!

I have chronic achilles tendonitis on both sides. They think in my case it's been caused by idiopathic/congenitally tight tendons rather than injury, because I have similar problems in my wrists and a restricted range of movement in all ankles and wrists.

I have custom-made orthotic insoles that help by raising the heel and taking the stretch off the tendon. I've also had various courses of physio which have helped greatly, and ultrasound treatment felt like a wonder cure when I was going through a particularly painful spell with them a few years ago.

Now I have very long periods of no real discomfort, and I haven't had to use ibuprofen gel for more than a year. The orthotics and stretching seem to keep everything manageable. The only thing I've been warned about is to never break into a full sprint without limbering up

Ah, this is interesting, thanks all. Useful to know that it can be chronic but you can just kind of deal with it as and when it flares up.

You're not doomed. That’s basically what I was getting at @lljkk

I think the frustration for me — and this is why this is in Exercise and not General Health — is how it impacts/interrupts my training. I feel like whenever I start anything new I injure myself doing it.

I can see a kind of small dink/dent in the tendon moving up and down when I flex my foot

Scar tissue? You might try massage for it.

Stretch, stretch, stretch. Google "Alfredsons heel drop" You need to do eccentric stretches.

bjsm.bmj.com/content/46/3/214

www.sportsinjuryclinic.net/sport-injuries/ankle-pain/achilles-pain/achilles-tendonitis-exercises

www.verywellhealth.com/the-alfredson-protocol-for-achilles-tendonitis-2696560

Make sure you don't grip on the step with your toes. I also do ordinary heel raises - rising slowly to tip toes and down, with a small ball (billiards ball size) between my ankles to keep the alignment correct.

Also do calf stretches, and do them with:

1. the toes pointing straight forward feel parallel
2. the toes of the back leg turning in
3. the toes of the back leg turning out.

Foam roller your calves

Try some foot proprioception exercises such as 'doming' for foot & ankle health:

journals.lww.com/acsm-csmr/fulltext/2018/10000/use_of_foot_doming_for_increasing_dynamic.3.aspx

Another one for stretching. Heel dips as someone up thread mentioned.

Definitely do the stretches and don't ignore it. With hindsight, I had it for months - that stiffness in the morning and after sitting down for a long time which I just put down to being the wrong side of 40. Then I went on a long hillwalk (not something I usually do) and it flared up massively, I could barely walk for a couple of weeks and it took a good couple of months to clear up after I started the exercises. It has totally gone for me now, but I do now know the warning signs to watch out for.

Thanks again for all the suggestions. I've been keeping moving and stretching properly all week and it's a tiny bit better I think. Will stick with the stretches.