Achilies/solus issues

have you seen a doc? You may have strained the tendon or worse... I "did" both of mine this past spring, and have been in PT all summer, and still not 100%. They took measurements and the tendons are noraml now, it's the bursa that live under the tendon behind the ankle that are still a little [censored] at what I did. Achillies are slow to heal because without bed rest it's impossible to "lay off" completely and it's real easy to irritate/re-injure them on the road to recovery. I've spoke with several runners that have had similar problems and they all pretty much stated it was a year before they were able to get on with "normal" activity. and Now I am about to believe them. But first have a doc look you over, get an ultra sound, or an MRI. Hope it's something easy to fix for you.

HR

i think i have the same problem. i did a tri-century last year and had some pain. did the 300 miles again this year and had terrible achilles pain after the ride in july. thought it was gone until i raced this weekend. some pain again which is depressing.

I tore an achilles recently and a lot that I've read says to back off on exercise if you have achilles tendonititis, ice often, make sure you're wearing proper fitting shoes, and slowly start working to strengthen your tendons. Is anyone in this thread near 40? Seems like the magic number for when people experience this problem the most. Other muscles tied to the achilles can even be the cause.

http://www.nismat.org/ptcor/eccentric_achilles/
http://www.pponline.co.uk/encyc/0031.htm
http://www.achillestendon.com/

Hopefully none of you ever rupture an achilles. It hasn't been fun at all.

The docs were thinking I "did" both on mine with a ll the swelling, creaking, and fun going on...

Funny thing is I normally strech out after every ride, and during. I mean it's real easy to get great lower leg streches in on the bike...

Fortunatly I just had "itous" on everything that lives down there. It's been since April, and only now can I say things feel almost normal.

You are right all you can do is about nothing but ice and meds, and keep the tendon from shrinking up, until things calm down. Then your work out is more streching with just trying to do some very easy strengthing exercises.

Most important thing is to remember as soon as it feels better - do not resume normal activity! I learned this the hard way - ease in, and test, and ice, test, and, and, and...

I finally got to where I could go on long easy aerobic rides and not need meds or ice afterwards. Now I am up to doing interval training again with maximal efforts - no holding back, and no troubles. But I am still extra careful to warm up longer, ensure I get a FULL cool down and stretch, and at any sign of anything not being right I stop. It's been a little more three months since I had to stop a workout.
HR