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louiesmith 
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Post subject:
 Posted: Jan 18, 2012 - 03:11 PM
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First post: Jan 30, 2010
Total posts: 41
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Mattylovesthewindchill
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Post subject:
Posted: Jan 18, 2012 - 05:50 PM
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First post: Jul 24, 2006
Total posts: 317
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Make sure you get some really stiff boots, your riding style might have to change, but you could pretty much take all of the pressure off your calves and Achilles.
Whatever you do don't get rentals |
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louiesmith
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Post subject:
Posted: Jan 19, 2012 - 10:50 AM
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First post: Jan 30, 2010
Total posts: 41
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I bought some Salomon F22s in December and i've only ridden them once at MK fridge. They are pretty stiff so should give good protection. I saw my physio last night and the plan is to wear a small heel pad in my right boot and try to do a maximum of three hours a day. Ice after exercise also... Fingers crossed i'll be alright, just can't push it as hard as I would have liked  |
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Smuffle
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Post subject:
Posted: Jan 19, 2012 - 11:25 AM
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First post: Jan 09, 2011
Total posts: 19
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Hay - in case it helps, I had a pretty nasty, partial Achilles tear 2 years ago, 4 weeks before a trip to Austria.......did it in the gym and even felt it go - instantly thought that was our holiday done.
However, the old "throw everything at it" plan worked and I was able to get through the hols pain free, and without any real further probs afterwards.
If it helps, this is what I did
• Saw a physio for ultrasound therapy – twice a week
• Got through my body weight in glucosamine supplements (great for joints and ligaments etc – not cheap though)
• Used a Strassburg sock http://thesock.com/ every night to hold the calf muscle in a stretched position(well, I made my own out of an old football sock and strapping stitched to the end, but it does the same thing)
• Stretched twice a day – calf stretches – x3 each leg, hold each stretch for 2 mins each
• Used heel lifts when walking, and then when on hols
• Also, taped my foot for support when riding
• And finally, ice and compression for 10 mins, then let the foot warm back up for 20 mins (all while elevated) and repeat 5 times each session. Did this whenever I was able to and according to my physio, it acts like ultrasound in that the constant change in temp encourages blood flow to the area.
I know how painful Achilles probs can be, so I hope this helps.
Good luck! |
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louiesmith
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Post subject:
Posted: Jan 19, 2012 - 11:35 AM
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First post: Jan 30, 2010
Total posts: 41
Status: Offline
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| thanks very much smuffle, really appreciate the help. i've been taking glucosamine and having ultrasound. also im doing stretches and eccentric exercises throughout the day. also using heel lifts. i'll take your advice on the ice sessions, and i'm going to attempt to produce my own strassburg sock tonight! how did you 'tape your foot' while riding? any tips on how to make my own sock? |
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Smuffle
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Post subject:
Posted: Jan 19, 2012 - 12:18 PM
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First post: Jan 09, 2011
Total posts: 19
Status: Offline
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No worries....the ice sessions really helped, but the key is to keep them short - only 10mins ice at a time!....the foot taping took a bit of practice but this should help
http://www.muellersportsmed.com/taping/taping.html
I'm assuming you'll have shaved legs, and if so, you may find the taping more effective without the under tape, as the adhesive will make a better contact with the skin, and therefore the hold may be better (I tried both and found this worked better for me - but shaved legs are a must as the tape and hair doesn’t mix lol)
The sock was pretty simple. Old football sock and then stitched a length of medical strapping to the end. I didn’t connect it to the top of the calf though, and instead, wore a fabric belt and tied the strapping to that. During the night, I just made sure I kept my leg out straight and this applied the tension needed. if it got too much though, I could bend my leg back up and it would release the pressure for a bit. Also, the strassburg sock design interferes with the calf muscle connection to the knee joint which you don’t want -
my physio explained that the Achilles connects to your calf muscle at two main areas and at the foot end, the connection is spread over the heel. What this means is that depending on what part of the tendon is damaged, pain can be caused my different movements of the foot – basically, you may find pain is worse flexing your foot towards you when your knee is bent, or it may be when it’s straight. If you’re like me, the pain was when the leg was extended and this means the damaged part of the tendon is the section that connects higher up the leg and is affected by the movement of the knee – this makes it easier to deal with though as generally your legs are bent somewhat when riding...eg keep your legs bent and the pain will go away......if however, the pain is more obvious when your leg is bent, it’s likely you’ve damaged a different part of the tendon, and therefore, the recovery may be harder and more difficult to manage than mine. |
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louiesmith
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Post subject:
Posted: Jan 19, 2012 - 12:52 PM
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First post: Jan 30, 2010
Total posts: 41
Status: Offline
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| thanks again smuffle, why are you assuming I have shaved legs?! (I'm not a woman by the way...) that taping/strapping technique looks pretty complicated, is it worth it do you reckon? |
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jacks
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Post subject:
Posted: Jan 19, 2012 - 10:52 PM
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First post: Jul 06, 2006
Total posts: 725
Location: LONDON
Status: Offline
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Smuffle wrote:
it’s likely you’ve damaged a different part of the tendon, and therefore, the recovery may be harder and more difficult to manage than mine
Aye, not sure which would be harder to get over but they are indeed completely different injuries to the achilles. Tendonitis can thicken the tendon over time so the oposite of tearing it. I can't imagine how painful tearing it must have been tho  |
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Smuffle
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Post subject:
Posted: Jan 20, 2012 - 09:33 AM
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First post: Jan 09, 2011
Total posts: 19
Status: Offline
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ha ha, I only just realised - it's Louie and not Louise....sorry mate, I was trying to type up a response while getting ready for a meeting - that'll teach me for trying to multi-task.
The taping isn’t that difficult when you get used to it. I think of it as 3 steps...1. create two anchors (rings of tape - one around the foot, one around the calf) 2 run strips from each anchor to prevent over flexing of the foot. 3 once you've set the supporting strips to the correct tension, tape over it all to tidy it all up.
You can do loads more like heel hooks etc, but just supporting the tendon seemed to work for me.
@ Jacks - I wasn't sure that the OP had mentioned it was tendonitis so assumed it was a pull/rupture/strain etc....my mistake.
You're right though, they’re both very different injuries and everyone is different, so recovery will be equally different
The interesting thing that I learnt about Achilles probs within active people, is that the vast majority of them are caused my shortened calf muscles - years of exercise with a lack of proper cool down stretching techniques cause the muscles to shorten, therefore putting excess stress on the tendon, which is way more likely to go.....I know I use to be guilty of that before, so make sure I stretch every time I train/ride etc and touch wood, mine has been fine. |
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jacks
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Post subject:
Posted: Jan 20, 2012 - 10:45 AM
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First post: Jul 06, 2006
Total posts: 725
Location: LONDON
Status: Offline
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Smuffle wrote:
The interesting thing that I learnt about Achilles probs within active people, is that the vast majority of them are caused my shortened calf muscles - years of exercise with a lack of proper cool down stretching techniques cause the muscles to shorten, therefore putting excess stress on the tendon, which is way more likely to go.....I know I use to be guilty of that before, so make sure I stretch every time I train/ride etc and touch wood, mine has been fine.
Aye, everytime I have a massage they ask what sport I do. I tell them and always get the same response "ah that explains it then".
Trying to make sure I keep my yoga up now, just tough to get motivated when you are busy! |
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otlawrence
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Post subject:
Posted: Jan 20, 2012 - 04:34 PM
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First post: Jun 24, 2010
Total posts: 129
Status: Offline
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| definitely get on the ice/heat therapy work, this will help to reduce the inflammation, also ibuprofen to help with the swelling will help if you are able to take this.. as youre tendonitis rather than rehab from rupture the rest and work to reduce the swelling should help before your trip! |
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