05/30/2022
ACHILLES PAIN? YOU MAY HAVE ACHILLES TENDONITIS.
First, if you’re feeling pain you should first make an appointment with your doctor. Your achilles may be ruptured and need surgery.
Second, use the RICE method. Rest, ice, compress, elevate. Inflammation may be coming from overuse or increasing use too quickly. Adjust accordingly!
And finally, you can start working on stretching and strengthening the proper muscles along with retraining your gait pattern.
It’s common to assume that if you stretch and strengthen your calves, this will solve the problem, but really Achilles tendonitis is happening because your calves are taking on too much impact. They are working overtime because other muscles aren’t doing their part.
Here are some things you can focus on instead to feel better 🙂
1. Stretch the calves lightly - go slow. The first video is a great active stretch to prepare your ankles before a run or high impact workout.
2. Work on your ankle mobility. The second video is a movement you should work on if you lack dorsiflexion in your foot. If you lack ankle mobility, stop wearing shoes with a large heel and practice walking around your house barefoot more often.
3. Strengthen the tibialis posterior, the muscle that supports your medial arch. If the tibialis posterior is not functioning properly, you will lose foot inversion. When this happens, you’ll collapse into your arch instead of landing on the outer blade of your foot where it can handle high impact. If video 3 is too challenging, you can modify it with a single leg balance for time.
4. Practice the seiza position to improve ankle flexibility. In seiza, you are forced to use your outer calves and glutes. Focus on pushing the heels away and knees apart to recruit the proper muscles. If your ankles feel a lot of tension in the position, you likely don’t use the proper walking and running pattern and need to retrain your gait. This will take time and awareness.
Reach out if you need extra help!