Right, I'm just back from the osteopath, and feeling a lot more positive.
It's Achilles tendonitis. Apparently this is caused by micro-tears in the tendon, and is a repetitive strain type injury that can develop over time, and can emerge randomly like mine did, and not suddenly during running or turning ones heel over. The tendon runs from the bottom of the calf muscle and fans around the heel, so you can feel pain either side of the heel as well as down the back. He said the swelling wasn't a fluidy swelling, more a thickening of the tendon, so I probably caught it quite early.
He gave me a soft tissue massage around the injury, and acupuncture (my first time), and I'm going back on Monday to review the situation. No running for the time being, but he said when it was 90% healed, I'd be able to run cautiously.
I have to say, just from today's treatment it feels much better!
He said the advice he gives to runners who get an injury like this isn't to reduce the amount of running they do, but to mix it up - short sprints, intervals, perhaps cross-country.
Budge up on that couch, there!
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Steve_L
Graduate10
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That's sounds very positive doesn't it ? Glad that you have got it seen to early enough.
Hope you have further good news on Monday !
Take it easy Steve xxxx
Well that's good news Steve. Perhaps you could use the time to get in the gym to maintain your fitness? The rowing machine is low impact, I don't know about cycle machine etc, but I use ll the leg strengthening equipment a lot. Good luck, hope you are back on the road soon.
From my recent experiences I can recommend cross country for giving the foot a softer landing. Long sections of soft squelchy mud have a totally different feel to them!
Oh that sounds pretty positive, Steve. What did you think of the acupuncture? I absolutely loved it when my physio treated my ankle -I felt really energised, like I could go fight a tiger!!
Not sure what to make of it, AM. I felt the pricks, and it was kind of a little uncomfortable, but it does seem to have made a difference. I wasn't expecting acupuncture, but when he offered it, I thought in for a penny......
Something I didn't mention also Steve, do you have more than one pair of running shoes? I have numerous pairs on the go and rarely if ever run in the same pair consecutively. I have attached a link for your perusal, I believe it to be good practice.
it feels a lot better today Steve. But this is the second time it has caused me a problem. I've decided I will attempt one more race next Thursday, then will volunteer all December for park run and just do casual running until the new year. Then build back up from there, very frustrating.
Feeling a lot better this morning, Ruth. I'm hoping that I might be able to lace my running shoes up again sometime next week, though I won't take any risks.
Thanks, TT. I'll definitely look into the eccentric heel drops. Last Friday was the first time I've felt any kind of discomfort from my feet in all my long history (ten months!) of running, so it seems unlikely that there's a significant weakness or root cause, though I'd keep my mind open to it. From what the osteopath said, it's the kind of injury that can build up over time just from use. The one thing he did strongly recommend was to mix up the type of running so that the legs and feet are exercised in different ways.
I hope it gets better soon. I am pretty sure thats what i had and i couldnt even walk properly for a few weeks.... The treatment sounds ace too, and the advice is also really helpful, good to know. Thanks for the update
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Suspected Peroneal Tendon Injury
10k tomorrow and need some advice!
From heel strike to mid-foot running
