Injuries Suck, but heck....

[Pony Boy]

Aprrox. 315 miles into my NOBO thur hike. My achilles tendon is killing me. With each step I am wondering if it is going to rupture or if I am doing permanent damage.

Next day, 'off the trail'...spirits low.l I end up hitching a ride form Devil Fork Gap to Johnson City, and eventually back home to PA. (40 mi west of the Delaware Water Gap)
Injuries suck!! Especially being an athlete. It is funny, I started the trail with the 'invincible indset' and was doing 17+ days 2 weeks into it. I am an avid runner, hiker
mtn biker, skier, you name it (but in this case a fool). I knew the AT was going to be tough, but it HUMBLED ME. Not only is it a physical test but a mental test of will as well.
SO here i am, typing away, (2.5 weeks later) itching to get back out there. My foot is feeling better and I have reassessed
exactly what I need and don't need (pack-wise that is). More importantly however, the time that I had off made me realize why I initially got on the trail. It is funny
because the day that I got off the trail I seemed sooo far away from it. I was hiking for miles, fast miles, room in the shelters, etc. etc.
Damn, if i wanted that kind of schedule I should have kept my engineering job, hahaha.... So with my "round '2'" attempt at the AT, I am going back
with a different mindset. Is ME still attainable this year, sure, but there is a long trail ahead and logistics might be an issue. We all hike the
trail for a huge spectrum of reasons, but when I get into that 'fast miles' mindset again, I need to take one step off the trail and reanalyze, making
sure that this is the hike I want.......

AND if not, move to Alaska and try to become a heli ski guide.... that sounds fun to.

Sorry, no real point to this story, just had a few minutes..
cheers!
Ponyboy

[sofaking]

get well and throw your watch away...

[Hikerhead]

Start from Delaware and head north. Then come back to NC and finish up the middle.

You'll have no need to run for shelter space then and the push to end before Katahdin closes is no more.

[taildragger]

I think that it was fiddlehead that posted in a thread here about how to manage the achilles tendon problem (I have the same thing).

Do you use poles (sin, I know). I found that when hiking with sticks or poles that I didn't have the pain in my heel. I've also started to stretch it more when I hike just to make sure that I don't hurt it again.

Best of luck, maybe you should switch to SOBO and start here in a few weeks

[warren doyle]

I suggest you read my one-page book at the website below.

It is better to be a smart hiker rather than a strong hiker.

You chance of injury is directly related to your 1) pack weight and 2) hiking pace. Your highest chance of injury is a combination of carrying too much weight for your body frame/weight and hiking too fast.

One can walk 20-30 miles a day in May, June, July, August if they start at dawn at dusk (please note, I don't use the word 'shelter'). Doing 1.5-2mph for 13-15 hours will do it. It takes endurance and discipline, not brute strength.

[A-Train]

I suggest you read my one-page book at the website below.

It is better to be a smart hiker rather than a strong hiker.

You chance of injury is directly related to your 1) pack weight and 2) hiking pace. Your highest chance of injury is a combination of carrying too much weight for your body frame/weight and hiking too fast.

One can walk 20-30 miles a day in May, June, July, August if they start at dawn at dusk (please note, I don't use the word 'shelter'). Doing 1.5-2mph for 13-15 hours will do it. It takes endurance and discipline, not brute strength.

Why do you call it a book if it is 1 page, Warren? Not trying to be a smart a$$, just curious why you don't call it an article.

[SGT Rock]

You chance of injury is directly related to your 1) pack weight and 2) hiking pace. Your highest chance of injury is a combination of carrying too much weight for your body frame/weight and hiking too fast.
.
I agree. But, I think you should add: not listening to your body...

I had a low pack weight and never really tried to kill myself with miles. I just hurt myself and kept walking. My foot told me to lay off but stupid me said "I ain't going much farther and my load is light".

[warren doyle]

Why do you call it a book if it is 1 page, Warren? Not trying to be a smart a$$, just curious why you don't call it an article.

Because many people have asked me when I am going to write a book and I told them when I can't hike anymore. Until that time, I refer them to the 'book'.
It's free, downloadable, full of important content and concise. And I update it every year.
Last year, I even had a 'book-signing' at the SE Hiking Fair in Black Mt. dressed in my college gown since we had commencemnt that morning. That was great fun because I consider myself to be a 'folk-academic'.

[Kerosene]

Don't come back too soon. I'm wrestling, again, with Achilles tendonitis due to too much soccer, and it takes a long time to fully recover. Rest is required, but you can also be diligent in your stretching and ankle strengthening to keep it from recurring. Oh, and see if you need orthotics.

[SGT Rock]

Don't come back too soon. I'm wrestling, again, with Achilles tendonitis due to too much soccer, and it takes a long time to fully recover. Rest is required, but you can also be diligent in your stretching and ankle strengthening to keep it from recurring. Oh, and see if you need orthotics.
I got that too on this hike. That time I did see a doctor. Slowed down, stretched, took Naproxen Sodium, and wore a small ankle brace. It went away in a few weeks of hiking.

[Blissful]

Sorry about your injury. Hang in there!!

[Time To Fly 97]

Think about the mechanics of the body...what would cause you to have this? I'm guessing you lean forward too much and you take too long a stride.

I would try:

Loading heavier things in your pack closer to your back and lower.
Tightening your load bearing straps (connect shoulder pads to pack) to bring the pack closer to your body
Getting better inner soles to prevent jaring your tendons (recommend Superfeet green)
Maybe going with trail runners with a good shank as opposed to medium boots (if you use these)
If you use boots, make sure the backs are well broken in and don't push on your A tendons
Tie the top lace rung of your boots very loosely or don't use it at all.
Taking smaller faster steps - get used to it and it will feel right on with no lack of speed
Absolutely get hiking poles which will help keep you more upright instead of leaning forward
Try to shift gears away from that running pace - hiking is completely different.

While you are healing - dip your ankles in alternating hot and cold tubs of water (as extreme temps as you can stand) for 20 minutes each. This will have a flushing effect for your tendons and help you heal faster.

Heal well and get back out on the AT!

Happy hiking!

TTF

[mudhead]

While you are healing - dip your ankles in alternating hot and cold tubs of water (as extreme temps as you can stand) for 20 minutes each. This will have a flushing effect for your tendons and help you heal faster.

Heal well and get back out on the AT!

Happy hiking!

TTF

Hot/cold works. I have used 5 gal. buckets(big feet), frozen water in yogurt containers. Looks goofy. Hurts, too. Maybe placebo, but I wanted to heal!

[Pony Boy]

Thanks for all of the great tips. I am doing a test hike today to see how my tendon feels.. Anymore tips out there. i am certainly going to re-adjust my hiking pace of sure.....I love the idea of long, slow days..beautiful...when i was hiking, i was usually at the shelter by 2:00 pm.......dang.....what in the h*ll was i doing that for hahaha..

I am lucky enough to have a neighbor with his masters in physical therapy so he is helping me out a lot....stretching is CRUCIAL so far....

any more tips are ALWAYS welcome....thanks so much...
ponyboy

[HighlanderII]

Sorry about your injury... If I were in your situation now, I would take it slow getting back out hiking.

I would start off at home and do a mile on the roads with no pack to see how I felt the next day. I would take the next day off. If I felt fine i.e. no issues whatsoever, I would try a 4 mile day with no pack and take the next day off. If I felt fine, I would try a 7 mile day with no pack. (All of this is easy walking, no pushing.) I would repeat this up to 10 miles/day and then add a pack for 1/2 of the distance and build that up to the 10 mile point.

I would then start doing some back to back days of 10/4, 10/7, 10/10 with rest days in between sets. I would probably do these on some easy hiking trails.

At this point I would get back on trail with my first week targeting 10mpd. If everything felt fine, I would target 13mpd the second week and 16mph the third, etc.

If I felt any issues at any of these points I would take a day off and then back off the distance for a week before restarting the progression.

In my experience, a 3mpd increase is something I can handle without issues if I spent a week at that distance. Your body may respond differently.

As a doctor once told me when I was 20 and injured after starting to run again, "You're not 16 anymore". The same thing applies to you -- "You're not 16 or 20 or 25 anymore." You need to give your body more time to build up and recover as you age.

I'm not a doctor or PT so take this for where it comes from, my personal experience hiking and doing triathlons.

All of the other comments about pack weight, hiking poles, listening to your body, stretching, etc. are things that may make a difference as well. I do think the most important thing is to listen to your body and take it slow getting back to hiking.

I think there is still plenty of time to finish this hiking season even if you have to juggle your schedule around a little i.e. flip-flop.

Good luck!