Staying active with an Achilles tendon injury

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MeenaKeepRunning
MeenaKeepRunning Posts: 18
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi everyone :)
I run quite regularly, and over the last few years my achilles tendon has been the bane of my exercise existance. I first strained it two years ago and went to a physio who told me to rest it for a couple of months, and showed me how to stretch it out. I rested it and it recovered, but of course my running suffered, and it took a very long time to be able to run regularly and even then not anywhere near as fast as I would like. Although I have been careful with it, it randomly started to hurt a lot yesterday, several hours after working out (I didn't even run- but I was doing a little HIIT, though I was warmed up and had stretched and everything). Now it is very sore to the point that it even hurts to walk around, so I'm resting it.
I have no intention of running on it anytime soon (which is really annoying as I was going to start training to do a 5k and a half marathon) but I really don't want my overall fitness to suffer. I've been really trying to improve my strength and endurance over the summer and I don't want it to go to waste.
What kind of cardio can I do while it is healing? (Other than swimming, which my physio told me to stay away from anyway). I find I really need to have some good cardio in my regime to keep me feeling balances and stress free...
Please help if you have advice, getting a little panicked! xx

Replies

  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,209 Member
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    Peddling backwards on an elliptical machine. Possibly the rowing machine. Possibly cycling.

    Strength training helps with strength (of course), reduces stress, and provides some cardiovascular conditioning - especially the more "metabolic" exercises, like kettlebell swings.

    To treat the achilles, are you wearing a night splint?
  • MeenaKeepRunning
    MeenaKeepRunning Posts: 18
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    No- should I be? Do I need to consult a doctor first or can I go ahead and get one?
  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,209 Member
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    If you were advised to stretch your calves / achilles often, then a splint should be ok, since that's what it does. If you're unsure, then ask a physio or orthopedist.

    If you get a splint, get one that can be adjusted gradually to angles smaller than 90 degrees, like this:
    http://www.amazon.com/Adjustable-Plantar-Fasciitis-Splint-Medium/dp/B006L8N71Y/ref=sr_1_12

    Also ask them about eccentric calf exercises. It improves achilles tendinitis, according to most studies.
  • GryffindorWinz
    GryffindorWinz Posts: 7 Member
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    Hey! I'm sorry to hear about your tendonitis. I hope you get well soon :( I have peroneal tendonitis, and I've found the best cardio right now is cycling. It is no impact and you still can get that cardio burn. Good luck!
  • wowzimmer
    wowzimmer Posts: 3
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    Try eccentric calf stretches as this will help strengthen your calf for the future.
    I would have suggested swimming but if your physio is against that idea then try cycling as a good alternative.

    I wrote more about Achilles tendinitis and eccentric stretching here: http://rhedeg.co.uk/injuries/injury-clinic-achilles-tendinitis/

    I hope you are back up and running soon!
  • alli_baba
    alli_baba Posts: 232 Member
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    Try eccentric calf stretches as this will help strengthen your calf for the future.
    I would have suggested swimming but if your physio is against that idea then try cycling as a good alternative.

    ^This. I'm a distance runner and have chronic achilles tendonitis -- doing eccentric calf strengthening exercises has definitely helped.

    That's pretty strange that your physio won't allow you to do swimming (or running in the pool) -- that's always my go to exercise when injured. I have also found that I can do elliptical as well as cycling without any pain but they are so boring that I generally give up on them pretty quickly. If you aren't already doing weight training, I would definitely recommend that.

    Finally, if you keep getting tendonitis, you may want to have your running gait evaluated. Typically flare ups happen when there is an imbalance in your gait. I found out that I had a weak core which was throwing my gait off -- after working on the problem, I substantially reduced my running injuries. My tendonitis also flares up when I try to do too much too soon -- so ease back into running slowly.

    Just my $0.02. Good luck!

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