A friend texted me last night: “Having some achilles pain. Thinking I should take a few days off and stretch.’
The moment I read it I thought of the movie ‘Avatar’ when Jake (the hero) faces down a huge predator in the forest.
‘What do I do? Run? Shoot, what?’
‘Don’t shoot you’ll just piss him off.’
That ferocious beast right there, that’s your aching achilles. And you’re shouting, ‘What do I do? Rest? Stretch?”
Don’t stretch. You’ll piss it off.
Remember… I’m not a doctor. But below are some safe actions you can take to feel better.
Why does it hurt?
Before we delve into fixes for this injury let’s understand why you’re in pain. My friends over at P-knot.com explain micro trauma brilliantly on their website.
“‘If an individual experiences pain from an injury their body will move differently to avoid such pain. These new movement patterns create undesirable postural deficiencies. As posture changes the body’s range of motion decreases. As their range of motion decreases their daily performance suffers; from bending over to tie a shoe to swinging a golf club properly.’”
— MY FRIENDS @ P-KNOT.COM
BTW- for my money the P-Knot is the best foam rolling apparatus I’ve used in 15 years. Great gift for an athlete in your family.
When you run or lift you are literally breaking your muscles down so they can adapt and rebuild themselves. Sometimes the tissue doesn’t set correctly (bc you’re trapped in a chair, in the car, or your feet are shoved into dress shoes that don’t quite fit). As a result your body will move inefficiently, sometimes leading to pain.
Running or lifting more than usual? Your body could respond in this way. The achilles pain is a response to poor movement patterns.
And usually the achilles pain is a response to something going wrong directly above or below where it hurts. Don’t stretch your aching achilles. It has a poor blood supply. “Adequate blood flow is crucial for tendon health and healing. The reduced blood supply in the mid-Achilles tendon can contribute to the high incidence of Achilles tendon injuries in this area.”
Our circulatory system brings oxygen and nourishment to all our cells. It would follow that an area with a great blood supply (like your abdominals) will recover quickly and repair itself from wear and tear. Hence you’ve rarely heard of anyone being put on the Injured Reserve with a strained rectus abdominus (it does happen though). Conversely the achilles has a limited blood supply to begin with, but now that the area is injured the circulation is even poorer which means slow recovery. If you hurt it then you’re looking at weeks of inactivity and possibly months of rehab.
Great. How do we fix this thing then?
Approach indirectly through your feet, calves or hamstrings.
Achilles pain is a one way ticket to a restful week. Why? If your achilles goes from achy to hurt you’re looking at a looooong recovery. Just ask Jayson Tatum or Tyrese Haliburton. The risk of running on a cranky achilles FAR outweighs the rewards of a week of training. The Smart move is undoubtedly to swim, bike, row or cross train for a minute.
So now you’re reluctantly taking some time off to prevent this from becoming a full blown problem. What can you do in that time if your achilles is sore and you can’t stretch it?
1- R.I.C.E. Rest, ice, compress, elevate. I’d stress the consonants here. Rest and Compression.
If your achilles starts to bark at you then your best plan is to schedule a week of rest. See above.
All runners, no matter how fast or slow, should schedule in a light mileage week once a month. If your achilles aches schedule in a light light week.
Compression socks
Compression socks are another potential savior here. Compression socks increase circulation and blood flow and therefore will encourage a faster recovery. I wear compression socks the night after a tough run and find that I move much better the following morning. Some people wear them during their run as well. I haven’t found that this helps with recovery or performance but I acknowledge every runner is different and hey, it can’t hurt.
My clients with sore achilles tendons have noted better runs while wearing compression socks. The rigid cloth supporting the tendon helps them run pain free.
Voodoo floss
I’d file this under compression but I feel like it needs it’s own category. I’ve never had full blown achilles tendonitis but two years ago I came close. I was running home after work and my right leg just went limp below the ankle. I had a terrible ache in the achilles area and limped to work the next morning.
Don’t worry, I practiced what I preach. I didn’t panic. I rested it for about a week. During that time I had a friend assess my gate. ‘How’s it look.’
‘f*#ked.’
I flossed it. I started at the base of the achilles and wrapped upwards toward the heart. As soon as I had wrapped the entire calf I immediately felt better. The compression supported the tendon and I was able to walk somewhat normally. I walked with an exaggerated heel to toe strike by plantar & dorsiflexing to the extreme range of motion. A minute later I removed the wrap and my friend reassessed.
‘If I saw this walk a minute ago I wouldn’t have thought you were injured.’
The limp was gone and my leg didn’t hurt nearly as much but this was not a miraculous recovery. It took another week or so of rest and flossing to get right, but the relief was immediate.
Foam rolling
There is still debate about how or if foam rolling even works. I believe for the simple reason that it works on me.
Whenever I foam roll sore muscles and tendons I feel better immediately. Search for tender spots above and below the achilles. Pain refers out. A tight muscle a joint above or below affects the function of your achilles. I would foam roll your calves, your hamstrings, the achilles, the calf and hamstring simultaneously, and even your feet. Find the places that are most sensitive and roll on each one until you feel you’ve affected a change. Check the links to see how to roll them effectively.
Joint mobilization
When you jam a joint anywhere in your body, the entire body becomes instantly weaker (arthrokinetic reflex). Mobilize the joints above and below your injury to ensure muscles are functioning properly. I recommend mobilizing the ankles and knees several times a day until your pain disappears. These are fast and effective ways to warm up your feet and legs prior to a run.
Lastly, Don’t stretch
The achilles is already under too much tension. Stretching will just add more. The standing calf and curb stretches are great, but I caution against using them when the achilles is already pissed.
Remember what you’re up against.
