Pain in the Achilles Tendon

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KimAggie04
KimAggie04 Posts: 165 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
A few weeks ago I started feeling pain above my heel. I would only have this pain for a few minutes in the morning before I started my workout, and then the pain would go away. Now, I haven't worked out in a few weeks (for other reasons) and now the pain is a little worse and throughout the day. I think it's my achilles tendon, but I'm not sure. I saw other threads where people were experiencing the pain after working out, but mine is primarily after I wake up. Has any one else experienced this? If so, what did you do to fix it?

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  • misschip1983
    misschip1983 Posts: 67 Member
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    hi ive just seen this, I just want to say your best getting it checked out, ive had the same for about a week now but past 2 days its got to the point where I can hardly put weight on it, turns out I have a slight tear and now im out of action for at least 2/3 weeks. good luck x
  • SuMcP
    SuMcP Posts: 244 Member
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    Do you wear high heals a lot? If so it can foreshorten the Achilles. Try regular calf stretching and also the yoga stretch "downward dog". It may also be helpful to get a sports massage to release any knots, but it it persists, get it checked out with your doctor. Hope this helps.
  • timeasterday
    timeasterday Posts: 1,368 Member
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    I agree with the calf stretching. I had to stop running temporarily due to an injury and I noticed my heels and the tendon back there are sore every morning. Since I'm not running I haven't been doing my usual calf stretching. I think that's why it hurts. Starting today I think I am ready to ease back into some exercising so I will start doing some deep calf stretches after I am properly warmed up.

    Keep in mind that to lengthen any muscle it takes a stretch of several minutes. Kind of boring, yes, but that's what it takes.
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
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    That symptom may also indicate a mild case of plantar fasciitis

    http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/plantar-fasciitis-topic-overview
  • thisdamselflies
    thisdamselflies Posts: 92 Member
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    Go see a doctor! It's possible that it's just a strain or that you just need to stretch more, but if your Achilles is weakened, well, the last thing you want is to rupture your Achilles. A partial tear will put you out for a few weeks or months. A full rupture would mean surgery and a year of recovery before you regained your previous strength. Which you probably never actually would. After a full rupture and surgery, you can expect to regain 95% of your strength back. And the scar can be pretty nasty.

    Just go have a doctor look at it before you do anything to strain it further. And good luck!


    Edited to say that recovery time does depend on the person and their care. Athletes with sports therapists and intensive training can recover in more like 6-8 months. People who don't keep up with therapy and stretching might take longer than a year.
  • MamaCass30
    MamaCass30 Posts: 37 Member
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    Dealt with this a month ago. Just now able to get back into running.

    I had a mild case of plantar fasciitis (sp?) and was out of commission for two months. Dr. said lots and lots of stretching, not only before and after working out, but also during the day would help with this.

    In my case, he said that PF is something I would always deal with but with adequate stretching of my calves & achilles tendon, it would be minimal discomfort on the worst of days.

    Again, stretching is HIGHLY suggested. My Dr. said you can never stretch too much when you're exercising on a regular basis. Well, at least in my case that was the verdict. It may be different for other people.

    For you, though, I would definitely see a Dr. to find out exactly what's going on and to get a gameplan to get you back on track!

    Good luck!

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