Discussion: Achilles injury advice
in: Orienteering; General
Feb 4, 2007 9:51 PM
#
Hello all,
I did a stupid thing today - I started a 35k skate ski race without warming up; it was -9f with a -30F wind chill, so I sat in the chalet until the start. The course is very hilly right from the get go. About 5k into the race I noticed my left achilles getting tight. By 15k it was slowing me down considerably, and by 20k it really hurt. No good bail out options so I just limped in to the finish.
The achilles is sore to the touch and it hurts where the calf starts narrowing into the fiberous part of the tendon.
The other stupid thing I did which may have contributed - I skied in new boots for the first time. I switched from my old tried and true (and blown out) Solmon Race Skate 9 to the RCS Carbon, which I believe allows for more ankle flex.
2 questions for anyone who might have insights:
1. Best course of action for treating the achilles. I am icing, taking Ibuprofin, and obviously not skiing or running. Any other good advice here?
2. Any experience switching ski boot models per above, and the RCS Carbon in particular?
Thanks,
Scott
I did a stupid thing today - I started a 35k skate ski race without warming up; it was -9f with a -30F wind chill, so I sat in the chalet until the start. The course is very hilly right from the get go. About 5k into the race I noticed my left achilles getting tight. By 15k it was slowing me down considerably, and by 20k it really hurt. No good bail out options so I just limped in to the finish.
The achilles is sore to the touch and it hurts where the calf starts narrowing into the fiberous part of the tendon.
The other stupid thing I did which may have contributed - I skied in new boots for the first time. I switched from my old tried and true (and blown out) Solmon Race Skate 9 to the RCS Carbon, which I believe allows for more ankle flex.
2 questions for anyone who might have insights:
1. Best course of action for treating the achilles. I am icing, taking Ibuprofin, and obviously not skiing or running. Any other good advice here?
2. Any experience switching ski boot models per above, and the RCS Carbon in particular?
Thanks,
Scott
Feb 4, 2007 11:06 PM
#
There's quite a bit on this on an old thread from December last year. Everyone seemd to recommend hell raises/drops on a step, legs bent.
Start with 3 x 10, build up to 3 x 30, if it's working and this is getting easy, do 1 leg only or add weights. Ice on stretch, lots of calf stretching.
In my experience ibuprofen won't do much (and I love it for other things)
Remember, main benefit comes from eccentric loading on the way down when you get your heels below your toes, so don't cheat and do the exercises properly :)
I've also found that stopping exercising completely for 3+ months did very little to help my achilles. I'm currently running about 60km a week, doing exercises, stretching and icing and it's not getting any worse (only started treating it properly 2 weeks ago)
Start with 3 x 10, build up to 3 x 30, if it's working and this is getting easy, do 1 leg only or add weights. Ice on stretch, lots of calf stretching.
In my experience ibuprofen won't do much (and I love it for other things)
Remember, main benefit comes from eccentric loading on the way down when you get your heels below your toes, so don't cheat and do the exercises properly :)
I've also found that stopping exercising completely for 3+ months did very little to help my achilles. I'm currently running about 60km a week, doing exercises, stretching and icing and it's not getting any worse (only started treating it properly 2 weeks ago)
Feb 5, 2007 1:52 PM
#
Rx:
Sorry I don't have answers but once more question.
Regarding tendon injuries in general, is pain a good indicator of what is ok or not for training? I was recently diagnosed with a very small tear in my quadriceps tendon. The injury is several months old and I was surprised the sports doctor didn't tell me to stop all training. Actually his advice was kind of a muddle, suggesting I should do something without saying exactly what or how much. So I am using pain as a guideline, doing only forms of training that don't hurt. Should I factor in anything else?
Regarding tendon injuries in general, is pain a good indicator of what is ok or not for training? I was recently diagnosed with a very small tear in my quadriceps tendon. The injury is several months old and I was surprised the sports doctor didn't tell me to stop all training. Actually his advice was kind of a muddle, suggesting I should do something without saying exactly what or how much. So I am using pain as a guideline, doing only forms of training that don't hurt. Should I factor in anything else?
This discussion thread is closed.