Heel pain - what am I doing wrong

[iamthattree]

Been going to gym for 3 months, working with a pt on strength based stuff. Starting as a total newbie and not I can seen tiny muscles

But I keep getting really stiff in my heels/Achilles. So if I've been sat at my desk for a bit and get up or first thing in the morning it feels very tight and stiff and I hobble. It's on both sides but worse on the left.

For full info I have a dodgy left knee which I have to be very careful about and as a result feel many more niggles on that side as I try to protect myself a bit so sure that doesn't help.

Any ideas? I am a couple of stone overweight so I am sure that doesn't help but pt says my form for all my leg stuff is good.....

plantar fascitis and you can't always figure out what caused it
There are a million different solutions to it, and what works for others may not work for you

Plantar fasciitis as pp says. Overweight and recently started exercising are classic triggers though. Best thing is generally to roll a ball or food can while sitting at your desk (look on YouTube for plantar fasciitis). And tell your pt - mine has adapted my use of leg press to do an Achilles/PF stretch that helps me avoid recurring. When I was at my worst with it 15 years ago I had a steroid injection that worked wonders but doesn't work for everyone.

Avoid walking barefoot - you will want your arch supported.

It will get better but it takes time.

Ah thank you both - will take a look at this.

My poor pt - she's only 22 and I think looks at me as a harbinger of perimenopausal doom I swear.

Is the pain on the underside of your heel or on the back of your heel - the bony bit? If its the bony bit, its more likely to be Achilles Tendonitis.

Sounds like achilles tendinitis. I had it when I started doing a lot of hill walking. Voltarol and heel raise exercises helped me.

My PF comes with achilles tendonitis, they co-occur.

Could be plantar fasciitis, could be calcaneal spur, could be Achilles tendonitis or tendonpathy, could be biomechanical response to training. Get a proper diagnosis from a professional as the rehab and treatment will vary dependant on your condition. A registered physiotherapist is your best bet.

Potentially both it and the knee issues could be coming from an overly tight posterior chain - hammies and calves in particular. It can cause Achilles issues, knee issues, plantar fasciitis…It’s well worth the investment to see a good sports physio to find the root of your problem and get some exercises to mitigate it. Favouring one side is just leaving you open to potential injury.

I agree with @lljkk and others that I get both PF and Achilles tendonitis.

Yup same here too.

Google “ heel drops” for tight posterior chain - Achilles tendinopathy and tight calves. Also try not to sit at your desk for more than an hour at a time. Get up every hour and walk around a bit.

Think about really rolling through your feet when you walk and get a nice flow going. Also roll your instep on a firm ball or for acute PF pain , freeze a 250 ML filled water bottle and use it as a foot roller. Hurts like hell but actually relieves foot pain.

Have a read of this:

angryorthopod.com/2016/03/calf-stretching/

Someone posted it here on MN and it's the only thing that's ever made a difference to me.

Word of warning with heel stretches - it very much depends on what type of AT you have. If you have the insertional type (which I have), heel stretches are the last thing you should be doing. You need to heel raises. Heel stretches are agony for me and make it much worse.

Good point @BrandNewBicep

Best that you see a physiotherapist @iamthattree to get a proper diagnosis. A lot of us here have done this, and so now we know what we need to do.

Alongside all of the recommendations here, take turmeric supplements to help reduce inflammation. Was a game changer for my PF.

As above, proper msk referral and physio.

A lot of these issues are related to tightness, and repeated forces, so a 'strong' leg may be the worst thing for it as the forces will be higher, as will loading cycles.

Thanks so much for all of this! Will get physio appointment and go from there