Achilles Strain

Achilles strain, also called achilles tendonitis, is a painful and frustrating injury. Achilles tendonitis symptoms include pain in the lower calf/heel area that flares up during a workout or race. The reason that the injury can be troublesome is because the achilles tendon does not have a great blood supply, and, therefore, once it is over-extended or torn, it does not heal easily.

Causes Of Achilles Strain

Achilles tendonitis is primarily an overuse injury. The injury can develop if you over-train by suddenly increasing hills or speed workouts, such as tempo runs or fartleks without giving your body time to adapt to the increased workload. So make sure you gradually include such workouts training. Achilles injuries can also occur after a runner first uses spikes for a race on a hilly course. Spikes cause runners to run on their toes, which puts a lot of pressure on the achilles tendon. Therefore, it’s important to try to “break in” spikes by using them in a small workout before lacing them up for a race.

How to Treat and Cure an Achilles Strain

As I stated earlier, trying to cure an achilles strain can be difficult. The tendon, because of the small amount of blood it receives, can be very slow to heel. Nevertheless, give these remedies a try:

• RICE: RICE stands or “rest, ice, compression, and elevation”. It is the default treatment for essentially any running injury. The first letter, “R”, is perhaps the most important. If you are feeling achilles pain, don’t try to tough it out! Take at least two days off and give your body the chance the heal! As for the last three letters, I have found that the best way to carry out RICE is to follow this method: 1) Freeze ice in a paper cup in the freezer, 2) When frozen, take the block of ice out of the freezer and lightly massage your achilles up and down for about 10 minutes, 3) Afterward, wrap an ace bandage or towel around your achilles and, while lying on your back, prop your leg up on a chair, 4) After 10 minutes, take the towel/ace bandage off and repeat steps 1-3, 5) Try to do this at least 2-3 times per day. It is also a good idea to use an ice bath if you have access to one; try to soak for ten minutes at a time.

• NSAIDs: “NSAID” stands for Non-steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drug. NSAIDs include Aspirin, Ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil, Motrin IB), Naproxen (Aleve). NSAIDs do a great job at reducing inflammation in the body and promoting healing. While these drugs may help you if you are hurt, please be careful not to abuse the drugs. Only take them for about a 2 week period because extended use can really do bad things to your kidneys. I have heard some horror stories about runners who used NSAIDs for months on end who are now suffering from serious kidney issues. Therefore, use NSAIDs if you have an achilles problem, but please don’t overuse them.

• LIGHT stretching: If your achilles is starting to feel better, incorporate some very light stretching to increase mobility and lengthen the tendon a bit to promote healing. Be very careful not to overstretch; if you feel any pain you need to scale back your stretching.

• Run in good shoes: A great way to develop achilles tendonitis is to run in old running shoes. Running shoes should be changed every 300 to 500 miles. Check out Road Runner Sports for great discounts on running shoes available to users of the Runner’s Resource.

• See a professional: To be honest, if you really want to cure your achilles injury, stop reading my page and go see a profession sports medicine physician and/or a physical therapist as soon as possible.

• Keep a running log: Although a running log will not cure an injury, it can help you discover why an injury occurred. By tracking your workouts, you will be able to find errors in your training (i.e. not taking enough rest) that cause injuries to happen. Without the help of a running log, it is highly likely that you will continually repeat past training errors and suffer future injuries. The best way to start keeping a log is to sign up for a Runner’s Resource online running log. You won’t regret it.

How to Prevent Achilles Tendonitis

Perhaps the most critical prevention technique, besides easing into intense workouts, is to make sure that the calf muscles are adequately stretched. Before and after running use the “wall stretch”, where you place both hands on a wall, with one foot in front of the other, and lightly stretch the calf. Try to hold the stretch for 30 seconds, rest for 30 seconds, and then stretch again for 30 seconds – the goal is to get the muscle as loose as possible. Keep in mind that a tight calf is the best indicator that your achilles is about to be injured.