Lower Achilles tendon pain?

Airsporter1st
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Lower Achilles tendon pain?

Post by Airsporter1st »

Back to leisure cycling at the age of 64 after a close to twenty year layoff.

I now do around 10 miles per day, but not every day, mostly on flat, smooth surfaces. I use SPD pedals (A530's) and cheapish, but very comfortable Muddy Fox shoes.

Just recently I have been getting some pain in the lower part of my Achilles tendons, just at the heel. It is worse when I start walking after having been sitting for a while and then eases off but is still painful to the degree that it causes me to limp.

Anyone suffered similarly or have any ideas/suggestions? Is it likely to be caused by cycling? What can I do about it?

Thanks,

Paul.
Colin_P
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Re: Lower Achilles tendon pain?

Post by Colin_P »

Do a bit of googling on

Plantar Fasciitis

Decent (orthapedic designed) shoes and or insoles help tremendously with this.

Bloody hurts, doesn't it.
Airsporter1st
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Re: Lower Achilles tendon pain?

Post by Airsporter1st »

Thanks for that Colin. It gave me a starting point, from which I have established that I am hopefully not suffering from Plantar Fasciitis, which does sound pretty painful, but tendonitis in my achilles instead. That's also pretty sore, but I'm hoping that recovery will be somewhat quicker/easier. Fortunately (or otherwise, depending on how you look at it) I am away from home for the next week or so and thus unable to cycle, which should give me a chance to heal.

Just another reminder that I'm not as young as my head thinks I am!
Colin_P
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Re: Lower Achilles tendon pain?

Post by Colin_P »

If it is lower heel then it is most likely to be planter.

When I suffered I too thought it was the tendon.

Some nice ortha shoes or insoles really do make a difference.
rualexander
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Re: Lower Achilles tendon pain?

Post by rualexander »

Colin_P wrote:If it is lower heel then it is most likely to be planter.

When I suffered I too thought it was the tendon.

Some nice ortha shoes or insoles really do make a difference.


Most likely?
Not really, more likely tendonitis/tendonosis.
http://www.sportsinjuryclinic.net/sport ... tendonitis
Colin_P
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Re: Lower Achilles tendon pain?

Post by Colin_P »

rualexander wrote:
Colin_P wrote:If it is lower heel then it is most likely to be planter.

When I suffered I too thought it was the tendon.

Some nice ortha shoes or insoles really do make a difference.


Most likely?
Not really, more likely tendonitis/tendonosis.
http://www.sportsinjuryclinic.net/sport ... tendonitis


My bet is still on planter;

http://www.sportsinjuryclinic.net/sport ... -fasciitis

Reason being it hurts like hell when you get up after resting and then eases off which the OP describes.

But it could be anything...
david7591
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Re: Lower Achilles tendon pain?

Post by david7591 »

As far as I know plantar is tendon that runs under the foot to the heel, and the achilles runs from the heel to the calf. If the pain is above the heel it will be achilles. The achilles is quite a long tendon, and it is possible to have pain towards the calf end or towards the heel end, or both.

Orthotics can help, and I have a pair as a consequence of suffering achilles tendonitis as a result of a running injury. However these are properly medically prescribed, having had a cast of my foot. Whatever you do, do NOT just buy an off the shelf pair, because unless they are specifically suited to your requirement they could make a bad situation worse.

Tendons can take ages to heal, because they have a poor blood supply. Generally tendonities is often clsssifued as an overuse injury. My tendonitis is a an old running injury that flares up from time to time if I do too much running. Generally unless extremely sore, I can cycle without causing the achilles any stress, but if acute and cycling try not to stand. Remain seated in the saddle as standing on a bike produces stress in the calf/achilles that is closer to that caused by running/walking, than would be the case if sat in the saddle.

It is difficult to recover from achilles tendonitis because the simple act of walking can aggravate the injury. Particularly uphill walking. Try to minimise time on feet. If you can raise the heel by a few millimetres it may help. You can buy heel pads. They come in pairs and you should wear both to keep effective leg lengths the same.

I hope your injury soon heels, however please be patient, and do not rush back to exercising, no matter how frustrating as you would risk a delay in recovery at best and further injury at worse.

Typically achilles will feel sore in the morning when getting up and ease during the day as you warm up or exercise, and then stiffen again when resting and not moving much. Despite having suffered achilles tendonitis and occasional calf strains, I have never had any plantar problems.
freeflow
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Re: Lower Achilles tendon pain?

Post by freeflow »

Mine turned out to be neoprene overshoes that were too tight over a new pair of shoes. The tightness pushed the heel of the shoe and put pressure on my Achilles just above the heel. I swapped to a larger pair of overshoes and the problem went away.

I didn't realise until after I'd forked out for several sessions of physio.
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NUKe
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Re: Lower Achilles tendon pain?

Post by NUKe »

Could be ccausedby overflexing of the tendon as you say you are a returning cyclist at 64, tendons do stiffen with age. A number of things to look at
1 are you doing too much too soon. Have gone from zero exercise to 10 miles per day .
2 are you pushing too high a gear, try spinning in a lower gear
3 position on the bike . Saddle hieght too high or too low. Too high can cause over stretching.


Might be worth looking up some stretching exercises for before and after rides.

All else fails go see a physio, who will diagnose the problem and give you a solution.
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NATURAL ANKLING
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Re: Lower Achilles tendon pain?

Post by NATURAL ANKLING »

Hi,
I have had both lower heel pain (one foot) and tendonitis's in both Achilles between the heel and calf.
The former I got by standing on a ladder for long periods, eventually went away after taking up cycling again.
The later I got with some shoes that restricted my foot motion whilst cycling.

The Achilles isn't something that should normally give problems in an active person.
Doctor said for tendonitis's is over 50's problem with over use.
Got it recently a bit in one leg training and doing a hilly sportive.
It not a problem now which stops me cycling.

I would recommend a NHS physiotherapist as they will diagnose what is wrong and give correct exercises.
At 64 overuse which will probably be cured by exercises that isolate and strengthen.

One more word if your shoes are restricting your "Natural Ankling" (a problem I now avoid like the plague) it might take longer to fix.
Make sure your shoes are loose and your ball of foot is in front of the pedal spindle by 10 mm min.
This setting eliminates the ball of foot being behind the pedal spindle in part of leg stroke, which leads to the calf over acting to stabilise the foot.
Also you could dump all foot retention as you cycling is only light work.
Cheap plastic bmx pedals and any flat comfortable shoe, till the problem has subsided.

Physiotherapist is first.
NA Thinks Just End 2 End Return + Bivvy - Some day Soon I hope
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rualexander
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Re: Lower Achilles tendon pain?

Post by rualexander »

NATURAL ANKLING wrote:The Achilles isn't something that should normally give problems in an active person.
Doctor said for tendonitis's is over 50's problem with over use.
.


Your doctor is an idiot then.
Achilles tendonitis can affect people at any age, maybe except children.
I've had it now and again ever since I was 17, and I'm now 54.
Also known many others who have had it at different ages.
I don't get it so much these days but I know how to avoid it now, stretching, saddle height, lower mileages, etc.
Initially when I was 17 I got it from running at a time when I was growing rapidly, and even now if I do any running it would tend to come on.
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NATURAL ANKLING
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Re: Lower Achilles tendon pain?

Post by NATURAL ANKLING »

Hi,
rualexander wrote:
NATURAL ANKLING wrote:The Achilles isn't something that should normally give problems in an active person.
Doctor said for tendonitis's is over 50's problem with over use.
.


Your doctor is an idiot then.
Achilles tendonitis can affect people at any age, maybe except children.
I've had it now and again ever since I was 17, and I'm now 54.
Also known many others who have had it at different ages.
I don't get it so much these days but I know how to avoid it now, stretching, saddle height, lower mileages, etc.
Initially when I was 17 I got it from running at a time when I was growing rapidly, and even now if I do any running it would tend to come on.

More common with over 50's then :)
Unless you had a problem in your youth I may suggest that stretching exercises back then might have helped you.
Possible that lateral rolling of foot due to footwear can bring on symptoms.
I have unstable ankles and was not diagnosed until about 15 years ago, many years in my youth of sprained ankles :(

I do this every day, more for tendentious, but I might now be suffering tendonosis ?
http://healthshare.org.uk/HS_leaflets/achilles_tendinopathy.pdf
http://healthshare.org.uk/HS_leaflets/achilles_tendinopathy.pdf


This says 30-40
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Achilles_tendinitis

Some more interesting stuff here-
http://www.aafp.org/afp/2002/0501/p1805.html

Some where in there heel pain is linked to tendonitis.
NA Thinks Just End 2 End Return + Bivvy - Some day Soon I hope
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Airsporter1st
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Re: Lower Achilles tendon pain?

Post by Airsporter1st »

Very informative replies. Thanks to all who responded.
cyclingmad
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Re: Lower Achilles tendon pain?

Post by cyclingmad »

Did you get this sorted? Im suffering from something very similar.. what worked in the end?
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NATURAL ANKLING
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Re: Lower Achilles tendon pain?

Post by NATURAL ANKLING »

Hi,
I have been off the bike for a few months so when mine returned when I got back on the bike no real surprise I am 59.
But normally I ride about 110-125 miles a week on a 25 kg bike with sections of 200' / mile thrown in and do hill work on the treadmill as well.

I have found that it never happened till I got older say over 50.
My Achilles tendons have become soft...age or under use compared with past?
I have nerve damage in one lower leg so I can't feel that well especially in the foot.
Over exertion will bring it on if my training is lacking.
When it happened the first time I eventually tied it down to shoes that restricted ankle movement, something I avoid like the plague today always.

I.M.O. You need subtle calfs and loose ankles, hams probably affect the motion too.
Diagnosis will more than likely point you in the direction of recuperation from running injurie exercises.
If I do not do daily exercises for feet and back it comes on again in the week, so I will have to continue daily forever.
Most of the people I see walking and running seem to suffer from stiff calfs, its modern life in our inactivity.
Exercise alone will not necessarily fix a problem, you need isolated exercises to do that, preferably given by a physiotherapist.
Good luck.
NA Thinks Just End 2 End Return + Bivvy - Some day Soon I hope
You'll Still Find Me At The Top Of A Hill
Please forgive the poor Grammar I blame it on my mobile and phat thinkers.
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