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Being patient with your achilles tendon

Posted , 2 users are following.

mike19691
mike19691

After a period of much indulgence at the end of 2015 I am pleased to say I can touch my toes.  Having suffered a ruptured soleus on one foot followed by achilles tendonitis on the other, the biggest problem I faced was not being able to run; ironic considering this is how I caused the injuries.  Now in the recovery period I have clocked up some distance walking, but have learnt some valuable lessons. Before doing any walking, stretch thoroughly the affected area.   On days that you don't walk, stretch as if you were going to walk anyway.  Finally, rest.  Muscle-tendon units are essentially springs.  They work better when they have warmed up, so bouncing or ballistic stretching is counterproductive.  Whilst a common problem found during recovery is underestimating the amount of static stretching that is required before exercise, the long period of recovery also leads to side effects of under- and over-using other muscles leading to compensation problems.  Stretching therefore needs to be comprehensive and include all muscles in the legs to ensure the recovery process is not a step backwards.  Happy New Year to all.

0 likes, 5 replies

5 Replies

  • tim50stroud
    tim50stroud mike19691

    Posted

    Thats very useful Mike, thanks. I'm over a year into tendon rupture recovery, and still have a weak calf casuing some mobility issues. I'm noticed the ham strings on both legs seem much tighter, and certainly noticed the improvement after warming up; I go to the gym 2 or 3 times a week and its noticably easier after a session when everything is warmed up. I really need some pointers to exercises as it doesnt seem to be stuck at a not very mobile level.
    • mike19691
      mike19691 tim50stroud

      Posted

      Hi Tim, the calf is the strongest muscle in the body and coupled with your achilles tendon should be able to raise several times your body weight.  Can you stand on tip toes?  If yes, I would recommend starting by raising yourself up with your back, head and shoulders against a wall.  Start only raising yourself up about 2cm, then down and repeat 10 times.  Do 5 sets in total.  Repeat everyday for one week.  Following week, repeat again but now raising yourself up 4cm.  On week 3 raise yourself first 3 sets of 10 to 4cm and then 2 sets of 10 to fully standing on tip toes.  Always keep your back, head and shoulders against the wall.  Never bounce.  Repeat week 4 as week 3 but at the gym ask if they have a calf raising machine.  A good one has the balls of your foot starting higher than the heel to increase the stretching.  If you progress on to a calf raise machine then only do 4 sets of 15 with a weight that you are comfortable with.  Additionally, only use the calf raising machine once per week, but stil continue to do your tip toe exercise everyday.  Continue for at least 8 weeks. Good luck.
    • tim50stroud
      tim50stroud mike19691

      Posted

      I seem to have got stuck at about 70% function on the left calf; it still looks comparatively thin, inspite of doing toes lifts at the the start, I've not had the will power to do it regularly. Can't toe stand on the bad one, but support about 70% of my weight. I use the leg curl machine and leg extension machine 2 or 3 times a week, each leg separately but there doesnt seem a magic cure! I MUST do the toe lift lifts more regularly :-(

       

    • mike19691
      mike19691 tim50stroud

      Posted

      Leg curl and leg extension will not build your calf muscle. The good thing about the tip toes exercise is that you have the support of a wall and the good leg and that you start off with something small (2cm rise).  If you are at 70% then I would expect you probably need to double the number of weeks before increasing.  Stretching those muscles to warm up is important and should be repeated at least 4 times per day.
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