UKC

Achilles tendon problem

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siobhan66 03 May 2013
Just wondering if anybody who climbs have experienced what I have been told is tendonopathy??? basically tendonitis on my achilles tendon. One side worse than the other and wearing stickies seems to have caused it and makes it worse. Looks and feels like scare tissue .
Apparently calf stretches help but I am getting to the stage where wearing stickies is really painful ....climbing in bare feet?! Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks
 Billhook 03 May 2013
In reply to siobhan66:
Go to a Sports physiotherapist - If they are good they'll sort you out with a) the right diagnosise, and b) Good stretching/strengthening exercises. It might take a while before it gets better - depends somewhat on damage and age. But carrying on doing what you know damages it?? - Oh, dear it's just going to get worse
 Gecko18 03 May 2013
In reply to siobhan66: Hi Siobhan,
Yep I had one of these a few years ago, really painful after wearing a certain pair of shoes which dug into my achilles too sharply. I went to the physio and had massage and acupuncture to reduce swelling and tried to avoid any shoes with backs that dug into my heel too much. I also temporarily used a bigger, beginner shoe on the bad foot and also split the heel of some more performance-orientated shoes from top to bottom using scissors to relieve the pressure on the tendon. It took a while to heal (excuse the pun) but did eventually go just by minimising irritation on the tendon.
Hope this helps
siobhan66 03 May 2013
In reply to Dave Perry: Thank you good advice
siobhan66 03 May 2013
In reply to Natty B: Thanks for that...I do change my stickies around abit and often wear two different ones which ever feels more comfortable on the day. glad to hear you recovered , that gives me a bit of hope!
 Ander 03 May 2013
In reply to siobhan66:

HOW are the stickies causing inflamation in your achilles?

I can only think it's because
1) they're very flat and you're used to wearing very high heels
2) your calves are getting over worked standing on your toes

2) is a very long shot, and i'm really surprised if 1) is causing it, and barefoot eases it.
 Ander 03 May 2013
In reply to Ander:

My suggestion is to begin by massaging the calf muscle.

My suspicion is that this is where your problem really lies. You may find this in itself eases the problem. But if you've got any muscular problems (knots) in the calf, you'll not be able to effectively stretch the calf.

Get in and give it a really good prod. If you find a sore bit, you've struck gold.
siobhan66 03 May 2013
In reply to Ander: I think I understand you! I definitely don't wear high heels (!!!)and I have very high arches.

My stickies are pressing hard on my achilles tendon and they are quite tight...i can't wear my new 5 10s because of this thanks for your advice...I read that tendonopathy could be caused also from jumping off things (boulders in my case and yes I'm too old for that can't of carry on I don't do it very often but I have been climbing alot over the winter and hece wearing stickies alot. Walking around in bare feet doesn't help but there is no pressure so back less shoes do the trick for that .
siobhan66 03 May 2013
In reply to Ander: Thank you I'll give it a go...bit of a wuss when it comes to getting knots out!
 Timmd 03 May 2013
In reply to siobhan66:
> (In reply to Ander) I think I understand you! I definitely don't wear high heels (!!!)and I have very high arches.
>
> My stickies are pressing hard on my achilles tendon and they are quite tight...i can't wear my new 5 10s because of this thanks for your advice...I read that tendonopathy could be caused also from jumping off things (boulders in my case and yes I'm too old for that can't of carry on I don't do it very often but I have been climbing alot over the winter and hece wearing stickies alot. Walking around in bare feet doesn't help but there is no pressure so back less shoes do the trick for that .

I love jumping off things, please don't tell me that can cause it.

In reply to siobhan66:

I had insertional Achilles tendinopathy, caused by running. I never found out whether it was an overuse thing or the shoes, but laying off running for a few months sorted it. Do you run?

I saw a great doctor who took it seriously and x-rayed me, which showed some heel spurs. Unfortunately they don't jingle when I walk like Clint's do.

"The Stick" is good for hurting your calves in a theraputic fashion.
 Phil Murray 03 May 2013
My main sport is running, & I've currently got a similar Achilles tendon problem. I'm laying off the running, icing it every night, doing raises stretching, etc. Climbing, ironically, in moderation is OK, as it stretches out the tendon.

But the thing that has helped most of all I've found, is putting Orthotics in my shoes - all my shoes, work shoes, even slippers at home! You can buy Orthaheel at Boots (£25-ish) & they had a buy 2 get 2nd half price when I was last there. It's not cured me overnight but in the past 10 days I'm definitely improved Good luck!
siobhan66 04 May 2013
In reply to Turdus torquatus: I used to run abit ....I think for me it's definitely a combination of over use and stickie wearing. When I'm climbing it doesn't cause too much pain (usually too busy concentrating on not falling off!) I think after all the advice given on UKC i need to to see more medical people , do the massaging thing and take it all a bit more seriously if I want to continue climbing.

Jingling heel spurs ouch!
siobhan66 04 May 2013
In reply to Phil Murray: thanks .....unfortunately for me I have other feet problems too so have to be careful with orthotics. Oh so complicated ! Anyway hope you get sorted out soon. You seem to have a plan and are actively doing something. I have kind of been just getting on with it stupid I know. Anyway good luck to you too as I know resting is difficult!
 Phil Murray 06 May 2013
In reply to siobhan66: Thanks! 5 routes in Wye Valley yesterday in glorious weather certainly helped remind me there's more to life than running!
In reply to siobhan66: See this recent thread on the subject for lots of good advice: http://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/t.php?t=542842&v=1#x7308673

In a nutshell, don't ignore it, go to a physio asap and be religious about doing whatever stretches and exercises they suggest.

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