I’ve been having left Achilles pain for a LONG time. Like 5+ years long. Just a nagging soreness when I wake up, but once I start running, so no big deal really. But it’s hurting a bit more now.
I’ve got a slight pronation. Nothing major, but a little bit. Running in Saucony ProGrid Guide 4 with DownUnders Orthotic Footbeds. Prior to these shoes I had Adidas Supernova Sequence (I think…they have changed the look of the model).
Just as a quick aside, I pulled my left hammy about 10 years ago. And my left upper back gets stiff. So, this all may be related.
But I wonder if it’s something a little simpler than that…either calf tightness OR the arch of my foot (and other parts of my foot) that has some adhesions that need to be ‘ironed’ out. Could it be either/both of those things that’s causing my problem?
Getting kind of sick of dealing with it, and if it’s a potential thing where I can solve/treat it myself, that’s a beautiful thing.
Do a forum search under “Achilles” and there is a wealth of information.
You thought that it may all be related to your hammy issue is likely not far from reality. The leg acts as a system and while the issue may manifest itself in one area (the Achilles), the cause may be in another.
Start doing eccentric calf *drops. *Not raises, drops. I’ve posted a few times about them. And do them with a weighted back pack.
FWIW, I believe the Supernovas caused (or were a significant contributing factor) in my Achilles issue. Look for shoes with a softer heel area / cup. I have had better success since switching to “natural” running style shoes, but I also believe that is failry individualistic. May not work for everyone.
I had very good luck in Newtons. I ran in them from last October through March, upping my mileage from less than 2 miles to 8 per run. Then I had ITBS set in. I don’t know if the Newtons have a role in that or not, but I was very happy with them. I also ran a bit in Nike Frees and enjoyed them as well.
I just bought a pair of Saucony Kinvaras and NB MInimus. Ran briefly in the Kinvaras yesterday until a blister stopped me (dumb decision to try sockless). Overall, I liked them for the brief period I ran in them. Haven’t run in the MInimus yet.
If you check the heel area / cup of those shoes vs. the Supernovas, you’ll see what I am talking about very quickly. The Supernovas are very stiff around the heel area, while all the other shoes I mention are quite soft and malleable. It is now the first area I check on shoes before I even try them on.
One of the things the running store guy said was that the achilles soreness could have been caused by a weak (that’s not the word he used…can’t think of the exact wording) heel cup and the inserts would help solve that issue.
I don’t know…I think it is highly individualistic. For me, the stiff heel cup of the Supernovas seemed to aggravate my Achilles. SInce I began running in softer heel cups, my issues have improved.
And what the guy at the running store said is also predicated on the cup causing the issue. If it is related to your previous hammy injury, then it is not relaly relevant.
My advice - find a good ortho and PT in your area that understands the endurance athlete. Not just any ortho and PT guy, someone who has worked extensively with triathletes and runners. Try and get down to the root cause of the issue. If they just say “stretch your calf and do some leg raises” then go somewhere else.
Had the exact same thing. Nagging injury, always sore in the morning, no big deal when running. It was actually a soleus issue and I have had zero pain since I swithced to mid-foot running. Saucony Kinvara is my shoe of choice.
Just to be clear, you solved a calf issue by shifting to a gait that puts more pressure on the achilles tendon and lower calf muscles? Please note, not being antagonistic, just want to make sure we’re on the same page.
To the OP, it’s probably worth it see an orthopedist, as they are the experts. Achilles issues are not really something to play around with if you can help it.
Just to be clear, you solved a calf issue by shifting to a gait that puts more pressure on the achilles tendon and lower calf muscles? Please note, not being antagonistic, just want to make sure we’re on the same page.
That is exactly what I did. After 15 months of no improvement, I tried “natural running” out of complete frustration. Began in an old pair of first-gen Nike Free shoes. 1/2 mile @ 15 min/mile (usually after 45 minutes on the elliptical). Pathetically slow. Over the couse of the next 3 months, I slowly added on miles and upped the pace. By October, I was almost to 2 miles and bought new shoes. Tried numerous pairs and the Newton Gravity worked best.
Ran in those until my IT band flared up in March. 2 months of no running and I have been trying numerous shoes since then including the stability Newtons (too big or small), Karhu (didn’t like them), Nike Free (seems to work well, but they are my walking around shoes) and now the Kinvaras and Minimus.
I know everyone says that “natural running” puts more stress on your calves and Achilles. While I don’t have anything to back this up (n=1), I believe that by addresing it as I did (slow and short runs and building VERY conservatively), the addded “stress” helped strengthen my calves / Achilles. I never ran so much that the Achilles pain the next day was any worse than a regular day. I also combined that with regular massage and PT. Critical to all this was the ecentric calf drops with a weighted backpack.
Any one of those techniques could have been the key to my rehab, or it could have been a combination of all of them. I don’t know…