There's a big difference between good pain and bad pain, especially when running. Achilles tendinopathy is caused by overuse or repetative strain on the achilles tendon.
Symptoms
- Mild ache in the lower leg or foot
- Severe pain in heel bone when activity has continued
- Stiffness or tenderness especially in the morning
Overview
The achilles connects 3 muscles to the heel bone, and absorbs approximately 6-8x your body weight when you run!
Recreational runners will often go through bouts of high training loads, whilst also having sporadic weeks off. When the body experiences these big changes of load, the tendon can become overworked and irritated. As a result, you can develop some insertional achilles pain, which is directly where the achilles inserts on your heel bone. This happens to approximately 30% of runners at one time or another and is often associated with a lump and is quite painful to touch and walk on, particularly after prolonged sitting.
We know that changes in training load play a big part in these injuries, but there are also other factors that contribute. It is important to address any biomechanical issues, which can be due to poor footwear, running technique or foot posture. Additionally, strengthening the calf muscle, which is often tight due to being weak, as well as other muscles above the calf is vital. If you are experiencing this pain, it is important to trial decreasing your running loads and start icing regularly. If it does not settle after a week or so, do not preserve through it. It will not go away with rest alone and it will get worse the longer you leave it. Catching up with a physio at this stage means we can keep you running but monitor your recovery so the achilles tendon can heal properly.
If you experience any of the symptoms listed or think you may have achilles tendinopathy, book in to see your physio for an assessment and Gaitscan. We will assess your symptoms and with the help of our Gaitscan pressure plate, take scans of your feet to analyse whether poor foot biomechanics are the cause of your pain. Once this has been determined, we can look at your running technique and posture to see whether this is a contributing factor. We will work with you throughout your recovery and educate you on preventing the injury from happening again.