Bloody typical, 5 weeks out from Ironman Canada and my Achilles goes out on me. Too sore to walk on let along run, anyone got any magic treatments for this injury and pain, I have been icing, heating pad, using my tens unit and massage. Cheers Rob
Well, I know there are some who disagree with this, but pool running will be super valuable over the next while for you. I have suffered all season with my Achilles. I did the physio thing early on, but things did not seem to be healing, so I threw caution to the wind and tried to train through it. While my run in my first race wasn’t too bad, it steadily got worse throughout the season and was really quite crappy at my last 1/2 this past weekend. Now, my tri season is done, so its only biking for me now.
Looking back, I should have pool run a lot more and given the achilles the rest it needed.
As for treatments and pain? I have no magical treatments other than proper rest and time (not what you want to hear 5 weeks from IMC).
5 week taper 
Get some active release therapy or some graston technique work done. Also pool running is a good idea, and biking.Take a good break from running. There is a sock that stretches your foot while you sleep, check it out, called the strassburg sock. At least you have 90% of your training already done.
Just rest it. Bike/swim/pool run to keep up the cardiovascular fitness. While not ideal, you won’t lose that much in the next 5 weeks. Remember that the run in an IM is not fast running, but survival for most of us anyway. Better to start with as little soreness as possible.
i got it 8 weeks before placid last year. deep water running. ibuprofen - 6/day. art. ICE BATHS. biking if it doesn’t bother you - zero resistance on spin bike worked for me for 1/wk until i got back on regular bike.
Dude,
I have been living with achilles issues for years. Here are the key tricks:
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Get a night splint and sleep with it every night for as long as you are training. It keeps your achilles streched for 6-8 hours a day in the most important daily rest/recovery period your body needs. It works great!
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Find an ART practicioner, or other form of biomechanical massage. The achilles issue is a sympton of a greater biomechanical weakness. Identify it now and fix it. Active Release Technique: Google it on the web to find a practioner near you.
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Ice it as least twice a day, every day for as long as you work out.
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Stretch carefully as much and as frequenly as you can.
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Take at least a week off from running starting this instant. Maybe even 2 or 3 weeks. Take as long off as you need to cuz if you are trained now, you’ll be trained come race day assuming you can run then.
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Buy a trigger point massage kit and work on yourself once a day. The pro’s use it, you should too.
Lather up, rinse, and repeat: meaning do this stuff religously and not only will you cure your current symptoms, you’ll set yourself up for a better stronger season.
I run with achilled tendonosis now, and following these things I have run better, faster, and stronger setting PR after PR this year (knock wood).
Hope this helps from somoene who beat the achilles beast. I feel your pain, I know it sux, but it can be overcome!
Jimbo.
I hurt mine in December of this year. Luckily, I could still bike with no pain (although couldn’t stand on the pedals but it was winter and I was on the trainer).
I also did water jogging (boring and I couldn’t get my HR up) and was able to do the eliptical machine with little or no pain (but couldn’t do it in reverse at all…that hurt like a beotch.)
When I got back into running a few weeks later I didn’t lose much if anything.
I hurt mine five weeks before Ironman Cd’A this year, but managed to get through it. My injury was a partial tear (traumatic I think it’s called, as opposed to a chronic type injury such as tendonitis) and here is what I did to get through my race:
Ice massage during the inflammation stage: use a small block of ice to massage the area 3 x 5 min (careful not to burn the skin). Do not use ibuprofen unless you’re in pain - I was told this inhibits the repair process, Pinpoint massage and ultra sound at least twice a week, Aqua-jog: I aqua-jogged for three weeks prior only getting out on the road for 3 times before the race to ‘test’ things out, Tape: learn how to tape your achilles using flex-tape and clothe tape in a ‘X’ pattern across the back of your ankle. I spent an extra four minutes in T1 doing this, but without it there is no way I would have finished.
Good luck.
I really do appreciate all the tips and advice for my Achilles problem. I thank you all. I will be trying out all the advice to get though this. As this is my 15 Ironman Canada race I wanted to finish up with a decent race as I had planned it being my last one so fingers crossed.
Anyone recommend a Cortisone injection in that area, or is that a waste of time?
Again a big thanks… Rob
NO! Stay away from a cortison shot. Bad idea, bad dog!
Rob:
I suffer(ed) big time from AT. I think that “Jimbos” recommendations are perfect. It’s what I did and bounced back. I just did IM CDA and actually ran the same run split I did in my other IMs but didn’t run a step for 2 months. (No, I’m not exaggerating). I had 5 weeks before the race where I started feeling good and worked up to one 12 mile run. I actually had to stop biking for awhile because it was aggravating it a little as well. I’m no doc, but from everything I researched, I would stay away from the cort injection in that area. The odds of a complete rupture goes up some (not too significantly though) with the injection. I didn’t get one because I didn’t want to tempt fate. To each their own. One thing that I did that helped was I borrowed a walking boot from a neighbor and wore it everyday. A bit excessive I know, but my achilles would be sore just from walking around at work and the house (mowing the lawn, shopping, etc.) So, I wore the boot to give it as much rest as I could and continued to treat it. Also, just an FYI… I also found that pushing off the wall swimming bothered it some. I started pushing off with one leg and/or would push off flat footed. Just remember, EVERY time you flex that achilles, it bothers it. Cut down on all the unnecesary movement and the faster you’ll bounce back.
NOOOOOO steroid injections!!! Albeit somewhat controversial, some clinical studies show that cortisone injections may increase the rate of achilles rupture and did not show benefit above placebo on healing of achilles tendonitis.
You have 5 weeks. Do the rest/rehab and you can be OK to go by race time if you don’t exacerbate it.
PUt a heel lift in your shoes to take the strain off the achilles.
Ice it! Ice it! Ice it! Ice…
When it starts to feel a little better, start some eccentric exercises for that achilles, as well as some gentle stretching after those exercises.
Aquajog.
When it feels better you could ride or spin with low resistance high cadence.
Pray!
Rob,
I skimmed the replies and didn’t see any mention of ASTYM. Do some research on it and see if you can find a PT in your area who offers this treatment protocol. I’m also doing IMC and was crippled by a bad case of plantar fasciitis in both feet- not good with the race right on the horizon. I was doing all the home treatment…icing, nightsplint etc and it wasn’t getting better. ASTYM has been HUGE in helping me get back to running. Those treatments along with an excellent podiatrist were key for me.
FYI, the treatment is not fun…ie, painful but well worth it based on the results I’ve experienced.
Good luck!
ditto everyone else’s thoughts on the shots…stay away from those!
mate,
I tore my left AT a couple of years ago and that was not fun at all. I had surgery and it got nasty! It took me over a year to be able to run and I still feel that I did not regain all strength. As a result of all this, my left calf is bigger than my right one. My advice: rest, ice, and elevation until it stops hurting. Stretch a lot. Pool running won’t hurt you and it will keep you fit until your race.
Take care,
DPC