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  1. #1
    I hike, therefore I stink.
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    Default Achilles Tendon ouchy

    I hiked Georgia last week and had to cut my hike short (on Blue Mtn) due to a swollen and painful achilles tendon. The doctor said it's not ruptured or anything, but now it's a week later and it's still tender.

    Anybody else experience this? Is it normal for it to take more than a week to heal?
    If you don't have something nice to say,
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  2. #2
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    Quote Originally Posted by Newb View Post
    I hiked Georgia last week and had to cut my hike short (on Blue Mtn) due to a swollen and painful achilles tendon. The doctor said it's not ruptured or anything, but now it's a week later and it's still tender.

    Anybody else experience this? Is it normal for it to take more than a week to heal?
    In my experience it takes forever to heal completely. I've had tendonitis (my doctor's explanation) for over 18 months now. I keep thinking it's more than that but it doesn't worsen, it just aches. I've also got some circulation problems in that leg which retards the healing process.

    Good luck with yours and hope you get back on the Trail soon.

    Tom

  3. #3
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    Default Achilles Tendon ouchy

    I have never had an ailment that is as hard to shake off as the pain in my Achilles tendon. My pain is from behind the heel up the Achilles. It's been going on for about 2 years. I relied on a doctor for telling me what to do about it until a few months ago. I went on line and was amazed at how much more I could have been doing for it. I've been following the directions on the internet and it is gradually going away. I think the biggest thing for me has been soaking my feet in hot water, massaging them and doing the stretching exercises. The slow exercise of bending the front of the foot up as far as you can without pain is good to do. There are a number of sites to check out...I've listed a couple. I'll watch this thread for any new ideas. It is not a small issue.

    http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/fact/thr_r...pcategory=Foot

    http://symptoms.webmd.com/default.htm

  4. #4
    Registered User weary's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Newb View Post
    I hiked Georgia last week and had to cut my hike short (on Blue Mtn) due to a swollen and painful achilles tendon. The doctor said it's not ruptured or anything, but now it's a week later and it's still tender.

    Anybody else experience this? Is it normal for it to take more than a week to heal?
    I did something to my achillies tendon when I jumped across a stream last November. My doctor concluded it was "just a sprain," but it got worse over the next week. A specialist had me in a foot brace for most of the winter. The pain went away, but the foot and ankle remains stiff and a I walk with a noticeable limp.

    The unusally late winter with it's heavy rain, wind and wet snow in Maine slowed the rebuilding of the muscles. Somehow today I've got to walk eight miles to show people a trail reconstruction site on town land trust land.

    I can walk eight miles probably, though I've only done a maximum of two or so since the November incident. My worry is keeping up with healthy people 30 or 40 years my junior.

    My advice is to go to a orthopedic specialist.

    Weary

  5. #5
    I hike, therefore I stink.
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    I have an update on my foot. A lesson for everyone. I went to a specialist on the advice of my family doc. The orthopedist took an xray to make sure there is no bone spur or other real damage. Thankfully, there is not.
    Since I'm young and still healthy (at 41) he suggested some heat to the affected area, light stretching and slow buildup to activity.

    He also gave me a shot of cortisone to the heel to curb the immediate effects of mild Plantars Fasciitis (sp?).

    Anyways. I'm gonna be ok, but the lesson is that it's always good to follow up when you have a boo boo.
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  6. #6
    Formerly thickredhair Gaiter's Avatar
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    give it a rest, from what i was told when mine started hurting is that it was from over straining it on uphill.
    and the athletic trainer said my achilles was fine, but the things under it that make it move smoothly were inflamed... causing the pain, so she said ice it, take vit-i
    it still took little over 3 weeks to get better
    but i also was stubborn and thought that i could still do my deep water aerobics, nope, made it worst, couldn't wear shoes that pressed on my achilles for a week
    Gaiter
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  7. #7

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    Quote Originally Posted by thickredhair View Post
    give it a rest, from what i was told when mine started hurting is that it was from over straining it on uphill.
    and the athletic trainer said my achilles was fine, but the things under it that make it move smoothly were inflamed... causing the pain, so she said ice it, take vit-i
    it still took little over 3 weeks to get better
    but i also was stubborn and thought that i could still do my deep water aerobics, nope, made it worst, couldn't wear shoes that pressed on my achilles for a week
    Yes, rest any injury until any damaged tissue has healed except maybe for gentle stretching.

  8. #8
    LT '79; AT '73-'14 in sections; Donating Member Kerosene's Avatar
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    Ahh, Achilles tendonitis, my nemesis. This is frequently caused by weak ankles, which can be strengthened with specific exercises and also helped with moderate stretching.

    As for over-straining going up a hill, this can be mitigated by remembering to splay your toes outward. Ideally you will have stretched your Achilles before you even start walking (but I frequently forget).

    Both of my Achilles were extremely sore and even sensitive to the touch; to the point that I could barely sprint anymore. It finally got so bad that my doctor sent me to 20 sessions of physical therapy, where they taught me the various exercises, administered infrared heat, and gave me some excruciatingly painful massages. I was remarkably better after a few months, but it's nothing to take lightly.
    GA←↕→ME: 1973 to 2014

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    All in all my achilles injury costed six weeks of rest before I could hike without pain.

  10. #10

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    While I've seen a couple suggestions for light and moderate stretching, to avoid this in the future continue the stretching regimen daily and increse the stretch as you go and all the mucles around your foot and ankle and continue until you've stretched everything, daily.
    It works wonders.

  11. #11
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    5 gallon bucket with hot water.
    5 gallon bucket with ice water.
    Alternate.

    After your initial RICE treatment.

    Rice, rice baby, egg foo yung baby.
    Screwy today. Vote 2 on myself.

  12. #12
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    Default Achillies

    All good advice from everyone that posted.

    If you can swing the cost, a good sports massage therapist may be able to help. By loosening the calf and hamstring muscles and helping you become more flexible, it take the strain off the achillies. As much as a hate to spend $50-$60 on an hour of massage, it has helped me a lot, even though I have an occasional flare up. Sports massage can be uncomfortable because they are breaking up years of scar tissue to improve blood circulation and promote healing as well as flexibility. To situation can worsen with age and frankly, it is about the only way I can remain injury free (most of the time). Also, you may find that a lot of medical doctors do not suggest sports massage, just because it is a profession that does not require 8 years of college education (i.e., they don't consider these folks trained medical professionals).

    For now, give it a rest and let the nerves settle down (the more you irritate it, the more the nerves in that area become sensitive ). If you can take Ibuprofin, it should reduce the inflammation.

    If you have to do any long walking, put a heel lift under your heels of both feet. Just cut a few pieces of cardboard to fit under your insole. That might help a little, but don't become dependent on heel lifts. Remove them when the pain lessens. If you leave the lifts in there for months, the achillies will shorten and make your situation worst.

    Be aware that, quite often, it is just tight calf muscles that put a concentrated strain on the achillies.

    Good luck there!

    Just John

  13. #13

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    Quote Originally Posted by jbwood5 View Post
    All good advice from everyone that posted.

    Be aware that, quite often, it is just tight calf muscles that put a concentrated strain on the achillies.

    Good luck there!

    Just John
    As with tight hamstrings causing stiff and sore lower back. And vice-versa. Basically any tight muscle will affect the adjacent ones - and so on down like dominios. Stretch and listen to your body. Yes, yes.

  14. #14

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    Experimenting with different shoes/boots may also be helpful, depending on the specific case.

  15. #15

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    Quote Originally Posted by Newb View Post
    I hiked Georgia last week and had to cut my hike short (on Blue Mtn) due to a swollen and painful achilles tendon. The doctor said it's not ruptured or anything, but now it's a week later and it's still tender.

    Anybody else experience this? Is it normal for it to take more than a week to heal?
    5 years ago, I learned (the hard way ) that chronic low-grade achilles tendinitis increases ones risk of tendon rupture.

    Once the acute pain resolves, work on stretching and stengthening. Above all, listen to your body.

  16. #16
    AT 4000+, LT, FHT, ALT Blissful's Avatar
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    I've been suffering from some calf pain and what I thought might be a pulled achilles from the rocks of VA (decided it wasn't my achilles though, which is god news). Besides icing and wall stretches, I was also told I needed better shoes to correct my overpronation that can affect the area (going to switch to Brooks trail runners), a calf compression sleeve, and heel lifts to divert pressure from the calf area. A good running shop can help look for these kinds of things and advise you much better than an outdoor place, IMO. And a good sports MD.
    You might need physical therapy also. Tendons are notorious slow healing.







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  17. #17
    Registered User sixhusbands's Avatar
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    Red face good shoes

    I had a problem with my achiles tendon once and my ortho dr. read me the riot act when I told him I hiked in trail shoes. He told me the support for any load is just not there in trail shoes. You must admit that there are few places where the ground is flat on the AT. Especially form the Maryland border north to Maine. Since then I never hit the trail with any amount of weight without my Vasque sundowners.

    I also do a lot of strength work on my lower legs in the off season. Often people work hard on the quads and the core muscles , but forget about the calfs.
    If you are hurting now.. you will hurt again unless you are healed.. so rest the injury and live to hike pain free another day

  18. #18
    AT 4000+, LT, FHT, ALT Blissful's Avatar
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    Not sure where the ortho doc is coming from ??? I too thought the support was better in a boot form but it's in the footbed where the support is, including correct insoles. I get more support too from my poles helping to anchor my feet in rocky situations than a boot. I twisted my ankles just as much on rocks in a high rise boot when I wore them the first part of my thru. As for a weak or injured calf / ankle - I'd think the dr would agree an ankle support or brace would be of great help than relying on a boot.







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  19. #19
    Registered User Mother's Finest's Avatar
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    If your feet go flat, or someone tells you that you overpronate, the answer will rarely be found in a shoe. A new and supportive shoe (like a brooks) will feel much better, however, the foot will still rotate inside the shoe, and gravity and body weight will still force the foot to go flat.

    this causes all types of other problems (like Plantar fasciitis, achilles tendonitiis, bunions, hammer toes, the list goes on and on)
    Hikers are notoriously hard on their feet. the only thing we have going for us is that a lot of the time we are on uneven surfaces, which force our feet to adapt. (ever notice how it feels good to have a round rock pushing up in the middle of your foot)
    in most cases, a properly constructed custom orthotic is the best thing we can do for ourselves. www.cpeds.org to find a practicioner in your area.

    peace
    mf

  20. #20

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    I'm having issues with my right tendon... lame. Didn't rest it enough when I initially injured it with bad shoes a couple weeks back. Going to take a couple of weeks rest and stretching and other bits... going to see a doctor this week. great thread

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