Not much help, but I've had similar issues to you. Not everything on the list but pain in my Achilles, PRP done in both, used lifts before, got a tear in my mcl, and something else that sucks.

Anyways mine has been going on for over a year. I'm not back to normal I just had to give up running for the time being. Probably been three month now. No more just pushing through the pain. I'm on the bike exclusively. No pain riding that, we'll just the pain of trying to ride with my fast friends. Good luck.

not the same situation as you but I had pretty severe achilles tendonitis 2 years ago. I ended up taking 6 month off running completely. Did a ton of lacrosse ball and pvc pipe rolling (forget foam rollers). Then started BarryP running from the absolute positive bare minimum. 20-10-20-10-10-30 (mins). Then increased short run by 1 minute each week (22-11-22-11-11-33) -- forget about the 10% rule -- I rebuilt my running from complete scratch. Lacrosse ball + pvc pipe rolling before and after each run. OH - and run SLOW!

For me it came down to wrong shoe. If I run in shoes that allow my heel to shift around when I land, that little bit of shifting repeated thousands of times was really aggravating things. Went down half size and don't really have much of a problem. Still make sure to stretch and use foam roller, and hot tub jet on the heel helps as well. Just have to be sure to keep toe nails trimmed and wear thin socks...

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#cancersucks - In memory of my brother, helping his kids

I am not running and haven't run since September of last year. I am looking to walk without pain. I have tried changing shoes and all of that jazz. Thanks for your tip though.

You might look at any way you can alter your running gait. Could be your landing too much on your forefoot or toeing off too aggressively for you physical limitations.

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Was your thought that FAI and labrum could have been leading to Achilles issues? But in fact surgery did not help?

Sleep with splints on to keep the calves stretched at night. I bought an inexpensive one at a drugstore, fits to shin and top of foot. I had an inflamed bursa under the achilles, this did wonders with some calf stretching.

I agree, I like the Strassburg sock, It's one of those things that is easy (you gotta spend a big hunk of time sleeping anyway), it might not help, but it can't hurt. It was the "thing" that got rid of mine - and, time - of course.

Stride, shoes, flexibility, recovery, trigger point, all good stuff too. Time is the toughest, too many people (me included) want to "test" when things start feeling good. Wait, wait, and wait some more.

Best of luck to the OP and anyone else suffering the dreaded AT :-(

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I saw this on a white board in a window box at my daughters middle school...
List of what life owes you:
1. __________
2. __________
3. __________

I had a more acute Achilles injury, could barely walk after feeling it tighten at the end of a run, about 17 months ago. I did all of the above (no injections). The one thing that made the difference for me is calf and foot strengthening. I do unilateral calf raises on a weight machine 4-5 x a week religiously. Working each leg independently you'll probably see that the affected side is weaker. Also a lot of deep rolling with different balls, and the rumble roller is great on the calves. You said that rolling makes a difference, don't be afraid to be more aggressive with it. This kind of maintenance work is ongoing, don't stop when things feel better. Good luck.

I have experimented with 3 different night splints. The Strassburg sock is the best that I have used.

A word of caution with any of the splints which use a velcro strap across the lower leg, be careful how tight that you strap it. A few months into my Achilles recovery I had to go to the ER for a blood clot in my calf, followed by a ct scan to check for Pumonary Embolism and a 3 month course of Xarelto. While talking with the doctor I mentioned my Achilles recovery and my use of the night splint. He felt that the velcro strap on my calf *POSSIBLY* could have provoked the clot, but there is no way of knowing for sure. I have fairly large calves and the strap dug into me. I recently rrsumed using the Strassburg sock, but I no longer use the velcro strap, just the pressure from the sock itself. The stretch is not as good, but it still holds the foot in a neutral position.

You describe a mechanical issue that has likely stalled in the healing phase. I wouldn't assume your running is off as you were able to run before this onset without pain. However, now that you have pain, it is likely that your gait and running style is altered.

It seems you need aggressive stretching- hourly throughout the day focusing on the gastroc/soleus complex as well as the achilles tendon. To achieve actual extensibility of this tissue, stretches need to be held for a minimum of 30 seconds and repeated 2-3 times.

Unfortunately, heel lifts, while reducing pain actually promote tendon shortening. Gradually reducing heel lift size of time will help reduce this problem. Static stretching overnight has mixed results depending on your tolerance for it and ability to sleep in that position. It is typical to have morning pain and more attention and gentleness is required first thing when getting out of bed as opposed for 4 hours later.

Frequent stretching, as long as you are not in more pain following, will take care of your problem. Given that this has lasted for a year, it will take multiple months to truly resolve this problem. Be patient and diligent..

I'll second the ball and roller routine. When no pain stretch and eccentric heel drops.
Definitely think about your shoes.
You must get rid of pain. Anti inflammatory.

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