Achilles Tendon Soreness

[jonnymchoward]

Hey, i'm a basketball player and i've been suffering achilles heel soreness but only in my left foot. I've been doing some weights and plyo workouts now (weights for around 4 weeks then started adding plyo workouts on top for another 4 weeks) to increase my vertical leap except the pain is greatest when i play basketball. The level of pain though is not that bad, i'm fine walking after the games, only today did i feel some soreness the following morning when i first woke up, after playing 3 hours 2 days in a row. In saying that, my ankle seemed fine before lunch time.

Here are some things that i've noticed:

-Leading into a basketball game i feel no pain in it, its only when i first go for a big jump that the pain comes (especially if i go up solely on my left foot). After it comes it pretty much stays there for the rest of the game but the intensity of the pain doesn't increase too much if at all.

-My left foot is fine when i do weighted calf raises with both feet at the same time, but when i do weighted single leg calf raises on the foot i find it hard to fully extend my foot and after the workout its more heel soreness rather than calf muscle soreness (i have no issues doing this with my right foot)

-If i sit on the floor with both legs in front of me, knees bent with my feet flat on the floor (like in a sit up position) and then slowly straighten my knees out, keeping my feet flat on the floor, i cannot extend my left leg as far as my right because i start to feel pain in my left heel.

So i was wondering what the problem may be, have i damaged my achilles tendon or does it just has a weak range of motion? (i have sprained this ankle twice in the past, one was only minor) Should i stop my workout? If so are squats/lunges still fine and is it alright to remain playing basketball twice a week (totaling around 1-1.5 hours) and what could i do to help the recovery?

Again the pain is bearable, I would be fine to continue my workout and bball schedule as is, i just don't want it to get any worse, Thanks alot

 

[SociallyChallenged]

I'd like to post in greater detail, but I don't have much time at the moment. Achilles tendinitis is a pain to get rid of. If you let it continue, it will come back very easily. You should ice it and take ibuprofen when you go to bed to reduce the inflammation. You can continue to do things that don't aggravate it, but playing competitive basketball should take a break for at least a week. Ice it after all activities for 10-15min, but no more (more time will actually increase inflammation). It might not seem that bad now, but it hinders your activities. If you don't stop to address it early on, it may become more of a chronic problem, which is a pain in the butt. I've heard a pediatrics doctor say he approaches Achilles injuries very aggressively because they can become chronic, long-lasting problems. I'll come back to provide some background as to why later, but I wanted to get you some info ASAP.

 

[brikis98]

Listen to SC. I've had a couple friends with achilles Tendonitis and it is absurdly persistant and tough to get rid of. Sacrifice you bball games and workouts now and get this thing healed now or prepare to make far bigger sacrifices later.

 

[jonnymchoward]

Thanks for the replies, so you guys both think its definitely Achilles Tendonitis? Do you guys know roughly how long it will take to get rid of or how long it took your friends Brikis89? Is it something that i'll have to stop everything until its completely healed or can say miss one week of bball, play one game a week, then two, then add workouts etc?
I just started a new comp and i'm getting so close to dunking, to have to stop and backtrack in progress while it heals would be a real bummer. I would really appreciate some more info if you get the time SC.
Thanks again

 

[DAPUNISHER]

I am being treated for Achilles tendonitis right now. The sports med Dr. gave me a boot type splint I strap on and wear while sleeping. I will let you know how it works for me, I just started using it.

 

[jonnymchoward]

Ok thanks, hope it goes well for you. I was also just wondering while i rest it should i be stretching it at all or just totally immobilize it?

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Ok thanks, hope it goes well for you. I was also just wondering while i rest it should i be stretching it at all or just totally immobilize it?

You can do some light stretching as tolerated. If you see it has become inflamed at all afterward, either stretch easier or wait a few days to begin stretching. I have some time right now so I'll explain some details on Achilles tendinitis.

Achilles tendinitis is a huge problem, mainly because of its constant use. You really can't get away from putting tension on the Achilles without a boot.

Tendons are pretty sensitive at times, but it typically takes a lot of overuse to aggravate the Achilles. Technically, it's the synovial membrane around the tendon that typically gets inflamed. Every time the tendon moves within the synovial sheath (which is every time you use it), there is greater abrasion and greater resulting inflammation. At light workloads, this may be bearable and may even promote healing due to movement of blood flow. However, as soon as you use your calf muscles (gastrocnemius, soleus) too powerfully, for too great a volume, or too quickly, inflammation will be reset to a high level again.

To avoid this, icing it and taking anti-inflammatories is important since it blunts early inflammation. That allows the individual to avoid recurring inflammation and.. well, inflammation induced inflammation. If it gets more inflamed, it's more likely to get aggravated, and if it gets more aggravated, it gets more inflamed. It's a really silly way of doing things, but that's how it works.

It would be best for you to avoid movements like jumping (any and all kinds) and exercises that require high force generation (calf raises, power cleans, push presses). Also, avoid using it TOO much. That's not to say don't use it. Just make sure you don't go out and walk 5mi. Some light walking will be good for it. You should gradually increase the amount of time you walk each day to help aid recovery. As you start to feel better, some light weight work and stretching will be good for it. If, at any stage, it gets significantly inflamed, back therapy off for a bit and start at a lower set point.

My explanation is a bit jumbled, but if you have any other questions, let me know.

 

[jonnymchoward]

Hey SociallyChallenged thanks again for helping me out, sorry I just have a couple of questions about the information.

So are you saying that this isn't something that my tendon is going to adapt to - Is my Achilles tendon going to get stronger to cope with the extra activity if I gradually ease back into it? Or after I let my Achilles heel recover, if I then go out and continue to do the workout that I was doing I'm just going to end up getting Achilles Tendinitis again? Are you saying that after I give my Achilles some healing time I must continue to ice it after workouts to reduce inflammation and prevent inflammation induced inflammation (which is the main cause of Achilles tendonitis)?

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Hey SociallyChallenged thanks again for helping me out, sorry I just have a couple of questions about the information.

So are you saying that this isn't something that my tendon is going to adapt to - Is my Achilles tendon going to get stronger to cope with the extra activity if I gradually ease back into it? Or after I let my Achilles heel recover, if I then go out and continue to do the workout that I was doing I'm just going to end up getting Achilles Tendinitis again? Are you saying that after I give my Achilles some healing time I must continue to ice it after workouts to reduce inflammation and prevent inflammation induced inflammation (which is the main cause of Achilles tendonitis)?

Sure thing, man, it's no worries.

Well, it's all about rehabilitation. You need to take some time off from your typical activities to rehab it back into shape. It will take a couple of weeks. If it gets swollen at any point, drop back on the amount or intensity of rehab and continue. If you take care of the injury by actively rehabbing it and doing light stretching, the tendinitis will eventually go away. I'm just saying that, if you don't rehab it, the tendinitis will be more likely to come back in the future. And yes, you're exactly right. You need to take some time off from normal stuff, rehab it, and keep inflammation down and your body will take care of the rest.

By the way, inflammation induced inflammation isn't actually a term so don't tell your friends that's what you have It's just how I like to explain it (rather than a sort of positive feedback cycle, which is more confusing).

 

[jonnymchoward]

Ok thanks for clearing that up for me (I've actually learnt about positive and negative feedback systems haha).

I'll rehab it and reassess it in a couple of weeks, thanks again for all your help, it's much appreciated.

 

[Capt Caveman]

I've been dealing with Achilles Tendinosis for over a year. It started as tendonitis from training for a marathon and b/c it wasn't too painful continued running. It turned into tendinosis(micro-tears) where it was painful just to walk.

My doctor wanted to place my foot in a boot for two weeks but I couldn't. Instead I wore heel lifts(which helped a lot) and went to physical therapy for two months. First thing was to reduce the inflammation(steroid patch, ultrasound, some laser thing, ice) then breakdown the scar tissue to regaining strength and flexibility.

Based on your situation, immediate rest is needed to reduce any inflammation(which includes a lot of icing). This means no physical activity that's going to aggravate it. Before going to the doctor, I would take a couple of weeks off then start running again only to reaggravate the injury. If it's not painful, you can perform some stretches.

A highly recommended exercise for keeping the achilles strong are eccentric heel drops. Also, ankle stability strengthening exercises will help to reduce some of the stress on the achilles.

If you need more info, let me know. Good luck!

edit - fwiw, I tore the achilles tendon on my other leg while playing basketball a long time ago.