Running with Tendinitis

acaff07

Hey!

I started the C25k challenge last week and am now dealing with tendinitis in my Achilles. I don't know if I should push through it or just take a break. Any advice?

PixieAdele

Don't do it! I had the same thing when I used to do gymnastics, had to stay off my feet for months and have physio when it finally went bad after landing funny from a gym element. Could hardly walk up stairs and was a nightmare to find shoes for school.

I would rest up and do gentle stretches for the Achilles area if I were you then go back to running training when the pain goes away. Take the running slow and maybe get properly fitted for running shoes, my tendinitis was because I have flat feet. There are also exercises for flat feet to lift the arch if that's a problem you have.

For the time being ice up the painful area daily, you can also hot/cold it too. It's a bit extreme but I also ended up going to our local beach (north east England) and bathing my heel in the freezing cold water in the middle of winter to help mine, don't know if my gym coach was pulling my leg about the benefits about that one though lol.

Good luck with the running once you're over the tendinitis, it's a horribly painful thing I feel for you

55in13

I hate to be an echo, but Achilles tendonitis is not something to be trifled with. After it feels better, good shoes (I suggest getting fitted at a running store) and as near a perfect surface as you can to start with, possibly even with a running coach (some gyms that have indoor tracks offer this for not too much). There is a good chance that you can mitigate this with an adjustment to your stride.