I was wondering if anyone knows of a stretch for the Achilles region. After my long run this weekend my left heel is a little sore. I know that the Mother of all Injuries resides in that region and I’d like to be careful before my next long run.
Try standing with ball of your foot on the lip of a step and then dropping your heel. slowly lower yourself by bending your knee and that should do the trick.
Be careful though: stretches are great for prevention of injuries but risky if you’ve already done yourself a mischief - laying up and spending the evenings alternating heat and ice packs till you’re pack to 100% and then being more careful may be a better approach unless you’re aiming for something soon…
A picture is worth a thousand words.
Here’s a photo.
http://walking.about.com/cs/stretching/a/achillesstretch.htm
That also works good if you point your toe in then out of the leg you are stretching. Works different areas.
Another good one is to wrap a towel around your toes, keep your legs fairly straight, then pull back on the towel so that you are trying mainly on the top of your foot.
My calf injury seems to be really responding to ultrasound treatment and massage.
rroof would be the guy to ask…
My podiatrist was in shock with the tension on my achilles. He went on to say that’s mostly inherited and will not substantially change. I stretch my calf muscles…but on the achilles.