Don't get older. Does that help at all?

Otherwise, I have found, in my rather unsophisticated experience, that returning to running or whatever after an injury requires that one "retrain" the body to correct preinjury running form. We all alter our gait to accomodate the offending member, and those of us long in tooth seem to do so even more. It seems that we all have instincts inherent in the MD that prevent us from seeking assistance until we have screwed up our gait and our body to a point where a compass is needed to get back on the path. Perhaps some running for a short period of time at a greatly reduced rate, concentrating on form, will help you get back to the yellow brick road.

Feel free to ridicule and/or ignore anything I say!

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Lou Battaglia

Why didn't I retire last year?

No ridicule - I wholeheartedly endorse not aging!

Seriously, prior to the injury, was working hard on form as had gotten sloppy; I know that, once pain is gone, I will need to focus on run technique just like I do with swimming. I suppose the advantage of being long in the tooth is that I have a "base" of more than twenty years, which means a few weeks off here and there are rarely disastrous.

Thanks!

It sounds like you are getting care based on the best available data, so I would not be so presumptuous as to offer advice. But I do offer solidarity and a ray of hope. I ran a pre-marathon series (2 x 5K, 2 x 10K, half) in the build to a very important marathon last year. After the 2nd 5K (which I actually ran as the 4th race in the series), my right achilles was tender and edematous, and the next morning that kind of sick purple yellow - with 8 wk to go to marathon. Immediately, into the water and onto the bike, like you. Ran the half in a month figuring I'd have to drop out after a couple of miles, but PR'd it instead. Started the marathon a month later figuring I would either do well or come off the course with a through and through rupture. PR'd that one too.

So, stay determined and follow your PT. It'll come around. Not when you want it to, necessarily, but it will.

be brave in the face of the word chronic and simply take it one day at a time..it can be the most difficult rehab mentally....try eccentric stretches and i have thought of that astym treatment, but never done it...it is a mental problem more than a physical one because you just cannot tell how long it will take to heal...you seem to have good advice but anytime one has a horribly bad form result, the problem is usually more profound, like you just don't train the right way, which would prevent bad form...your handle seems to indicate that you are pleased with being slow, so that is likely allowing you to train badly so that bad form is part of your results...which likely caused/s the at...

Take some running time off - there is really no shortcut at this point. The Achilles is the largest tendon in the body that just happens to have a pretty poor blood supply. Also used heavily in running - see the problem? When I repair achilles ruptures, the tendon always looks really bad - frayed, yellow, necrotic, etc.

Tincture of time. Perhaps some of the odd modalities (i.e. anodyne) that may increase localized circulation? No harm in trying, but no controlled studies to show efficacy either.

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Fatigue is biochemical, not biomechanical.
- Andrew Coggan, PhD

Ah, we are blood brothers.

I might also second what kiri said about ASTYM. Until the last week where mine has gotten a little tender, it has kept me in the game sincce last November which is a good run for me.

Some other things I do that seem to help it along: night splint, I have a small hand held ultasound unit that I use on it 2-3 times a day for circulation, rub it when you are at your desk or watching tv, when I am sitting at my desk I have a cylinder (like the paper tube left after you are done with the wrapping paper) that I put my toes up on with my heel on the ground, to keep the achilles elongated.

Once it feels good, give it another couple weeks to be sure before you run. Start back very conservative.

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_________________________________
I'll be what I am
A solitary man

The only thing I can add is that ultrasound might help stimulate blood flow to the achilles area so that might be worth a shot if you havent tried it. And, although you've probably already gotten the advice DON"T INJECT IT. That'll cause the achilles to blow for sure. Rest and time - you'll get over it. There are plenty of races don't worry about missing a few.

- john

If life gives you lemons...

Join the March swim challenge and try to swim 100 miles (176,000 yards) this month. THAT will get you fit.

If you can ride, do that too.

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Cousin Elwood - Team Over-the-hill Racing
Brought to you by the good folks at Metamucil and Geritol...

Sorry about that, OldSlowDoc. That sounds really frustrating. However, you can still train bike and swim: can you make some interesting focii in those sports, and/or find another sport to investigate 'in the meantime'?

In other words, how can you engage with "beginners' mind"?

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Lauren Muney
certified physical fitness trainer
certified health coach
wellcoach
http://www.physicalmind.com

There is no escape from your life... solve the problems and get on with it.

"Just tell her you love her and you think she kicks ass" ~AndrewinNH

"I'm moving [Lauren] to guru status" ~Last Tri in 83

He has already joined the fishbowl :)

oldslowdoc... I hope it gets better soon.

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maybe she's born with it, maybe it's chlorine
If you're injured and need some sympathy, PM me and I'm very happy to write back.
disclaimer: PhD not MD

GMTA!

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Cousin Elwood - Team Over-the-hill Racing
Brought to you by the good folks at Metamucil and Geritol...

Thanks to all for the insight, support and advice. I forgot to mention the night splint, which I am using; am doing eccentric stretching; my icing regimen includes not only attention to the Achilles tendon, but also have a frozen Poland Springs water bottle that I roll under the plantar surface tid.

I am putting in more water and bike time. Both good, both needed.

Rick, you're right, and your insight is visually useful for me - the Achilles is a badly vascularized tendon, and placing it under repetitive stress means that it heals slowly and (I imagine) incompletely. An interesting thing for me to conceptualize - nothing I used to touch in thoracic surgery was ever hypovascular, so the concept of a dry field is kinda tempting, though I know that "dry" simply predisposes to "necrotic."

Maybe, in the karma of things, I need to refocus my goals; I assumed that this would be an awesome year since (1) no fracture coming out of winter, which is both unusual and good; and (2) minimal job demands, since I'm enjoying a one-year respite from full-time employment. I guess I should focus on just training smart, viewing this as a challenge, and having fun - which is the real reason to do this!

Thanks again.

With age comes wisdom? I dunno, maybe just creativity. I had Achilles problems years ago, and started biking for cross-training on advice of my podiatrist. Long ride, short run - in 1972 there was no name for it, not even cross-training. It not only helped me to become a damned good runner, it helped later when I started doing triathlons and couldn't relate to all the moaning people did about how awful it was to run off the bike. Of course it had been for me years earlier, but with age comes Alzheimers...

So I stopped competing at anything for a number of years and then started up again and found that my Achilles was still a problem and on top of that my left knee and right hip were all screwed up. Basically I couldn't run for sour owl crap... I spent several years focusing on swimming and had a ball swimming masters meets and open water while continuing to bike 200-350 miles a week. I even did a few tris and kicked butt until it was time to run. For the last eight years I've watched my competition run me off the podium at one event after another. Despite being first out of T-2 at more than two-thirds of my races, I only have two wins, a second and two third places to show for it.

I found a great therapist and a great chiro who have gotten my back and hip squared away (literally) and the therapist made me a great set of orthotics. Finally had surgery on my left knee last year and MAYBE this year will be the first in many when I can have a complete game.

In spite of all this, I've had a ball doing the things I could do, despite severe annoyance over what I couldn't do. Most of all, and like you, I'm in better shape than 99.9% of my peers, and that's not gloating, that's just being thankful that I can get up every morning and do virtually anything I could do when I was in high school although some things not quite as fast. I only wish I could make more people see how much it's worth to stay in shape.

At our age it's about quality of life, because even if I win at Kona, only a handful of people will ever know about it. Nobody cares what the older AGs are doing except the few people who are competing in those categories. So live long and prosper, but mostly have fun today.

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Cousin Elwood - Team Over-the-hill Racing
Brought to you by the good folks at Metamucil and Geritol...

Very well said, Elwood. Like Doc, I've been in a running funk for a while too. My 57 year old body started acting up last September after going for a hard run. First the Hamstrings blew, which had never been a problem till then. Two months of no running, just swimming and cycling. Started running again but just a little and only 3 days per week. Feeling better and better so increased the pace and distance each time then BLAMO! My old calf injury comes to visit, putting me out of action for a few more weeks.

More rest then started in again slow like last time. Then the greatest injustice of all - the achilles. It's the "achilles heal" of so many runners, as it were.

Feeling despondent doesn't say the half of how I feel. Each time I think I'm ready to try the run thing again I do so with real concern. It's like I have to sneak up on my running shoes for fear they'll alert my body to rebel again.

Thank God I've got swimming and cycling to fall back on, otherwise in a few months of inactivity I would, without a doubt, qualify for my own ZIP Code. Take care all you 50 somethings. We're all in this for the long haul.

You have described my life in a nutshell.

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_________________________________
I'll be what I am
A solitary man

Don't have much to offer in addition to the previous posts except to note that really hot water is pretty much the equal of an ultrasound treatment and can be done at anytime and often. Good luck.

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Born again Heathen
In Case of Keith Moon - Break This Glass
Ironman Certified Coach
USAT Certified Coach
Precision Nutrition Certified

"My 57 year old body started acting up..."
- - You, me and probably the old doc too, are in that 55-59 group where "winning by attrition" starts to happen, although not at all the way it used to. Somehow the guys about 2-10 years behind us don't seem to be succumbing to the ravages of old age like most of us.
A few years back a friend and teammate took third in 55-59 at a fairly large regional Olympic distance tri with a time that was just barely under 3:00. Last year I was 7th in that AG with 2:28! WTF??

A few years later I was about to toast the departure of Tim Lavelle from my AG (50-54 at that time) until I noticed Dean Harper's time at that same race (49 years old) was 2:04. Tim had won that year in 2:11. So the next year Dean won 50-54 with a 2:03, which was also good enough for eighth overall!! In another year, I think he'll be coming into 55-59 and may be still getting faster.

Meanwhile, the rest of us race our brains out on one Sunday in June and then spend the rest of the summer recovering. To quote ESPN's Stuart Scott, "I ain't sayin' nothin' but that ain't right."

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Cousin Elwood - Team Over-the-hill Racing
Brought to you by the good folks at Metamucil and Geritol...

I empathize with your situation.
I got AT after doing a few weeks of stretching of the hip flexors. I'll be darned if it didn't lengthen my stride and take the achilles tendon to a place it hadn't been in years. Of course, I should have waited a few months before starting the interval work. But this was all of 9+ years ago. It took 6 months of devoted attention (detailed below). It hasn't struck again since.
My devoted attention:
Ice and elevate the area 2x per day for 10-20 mins. This lasted almost 16 weeks.
Alleve 2x per day for 4 weeks. I am not a fan of meds/drugs and my stomach and I were not happy about this phase.
I refrained from extensive walking and did no running for 6 months. I did, however, continue to swim, bike and do weights.
I strongly encourage you to go the ice and elevation route as intensely as you would any big training session.
Ice is a miracle "drug" - it is incredibly effective and the side-effects are limited to... inconvenience.
Best of luck to you.
P.S. Yes, it was worth all the time to ensure that the healing was complete. First rule; Do no harm.....

My body may be acting like it's in the 55-59 group - or older - but am still racing based on a birthday that has me in the 50-54 AG. I turn 54 this July. Sigh. Feels plenty old to this fella!

Thanks - I have been very disciplined about ice, elevation, stretching, etc. I like your analogy of approaching therapy as if it were any other kind of training session - as that's exactly what it is. Need to understand the purpose of the workout, then do the work.

'Primum non nocere' is tough when we 'live to run'!

Can't let a thread on Achilles and 50+ age groups go by without throwing my 2 cents worth in; doesn't sound like your AT is progressed to the point of using Ossatron (which is good). Have you tried custom orthotics ?? How about silicone custom orthotics ? Haven't made me young again, but have kept me running......

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what means this word 'change'? .....
Rappstar

Thanks, Randy -

You reminded my that I've just started wearing OTC orthotics - had never used any before this - and now have them in my casual shoes and my bike shoes - as well as in the nice new (and hopelessly unused) running shoes that tease and taunt me every time I step into my closet. Should have started using orthotics earlier, and I asked my doc if custom orthotics were adviseable, but he recommended starting with OTC variety.

I just went through an entire day, including a 2+ hour trainer ride, with no pain. Progress? Hmm - seems like it.

you're on the right track, OTC certainly make sense to use first, especially since it seems like the OTC variety have really improved in quality last year or two.
Being pain free is huge ! Shows things are healing, etc. you'll be back in those running shoes soon. take care.

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what means this word 'change'? .....
Rappstar

the only problem is that he is 10 years older than you :-P

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Striving to have sex more than 66 times per year