Okay this is something that is starting to tick me off personally. Every tim that I start to look into getting into running, or getting healthier for that matter, I have issues with my tendonitis in my achilles. Something as simple as taking the stairs at work the other day rather than take the elevator set it off this time. I tend to run with my son on the weekends (usually about 2 miles) and have a few 5K’s set up for the upcoming future. I know it is nothing big like an HIM, but it is annoying I stretch after and lightly before and it still happens. I have kept the heel to toe drop roughly the same in my running shoes and it still flares up. Any advice of what could stop this annoyance? I would eventually like to work my chug butt up to doing a half marathon, but if the tendonitis is going to act like this I guess I will be stuck at doing 5k’s
How do you know it is tendonitis and not tendonosis? If you have 'osis then you have tendon damage (fibers are like a pile of dead spaghetti knots rather than uniform healthy ones). If you have tendon damage, then recovery is slow and requires significant therapy (eccentric calf drops are the gold standard). Other therapies such as PRP or Prolotherapy can help since they irritate the tendon and introduce a direct healing process into an area of very little blood flow.
Other issues that may be part of the problem are your calves that are really tight and causing tremendous load on the achilles. Your calves may be tight for a variety of reasons, stemming from postural issues, pelvis issues, hamstring issues, etc.
Jack
if you research this on ST (not just this thread) you’ll find some great stuff. And, I recommend reading up on this like crazy.
Try everything.
I fought this for about a year - and did recover. For me it was a super slow process. so slow that I didn’t really know if I was actually improving. But I was improving. Big thing was using a hard roller on the entire calf with a focus on the area above the top of the Achilles. For runners (at least this runner) I had accumulated over decades many little injuries that caused tension to be put on the Achilles. This rolling eventually loosened the area up and increased overall flexibility. Decreasing the constant pressure.
Good luck, recovery is possible, just not overnight
edit-typo fix
Since you are new to running, why not get an assessment by a physio? It is likely a weakness, probably in your calves, that is setting things off. An assessment should lead to an exercise regime that will help strengthen what is wrong. Spending a year fiddling with a variety of things is silly, just see a professional.
Do yourself a favor and google or youtube “Alfredson 180”. It really works
Eccentric heel drops. Emphasis on drops.
Stand on the edge of a stair. Raise up on your good leg, transfer over to the affected leg and then slowly lower (3 count). Lather, rinse, repeat. Work up to 2 sets of 20, twice a day. Once there, get a backpack and start adding weight.
the weighted backpack is critical. You need to overload the Achilles / Calf in order to strengthen it.
Also check your hip strength, especially your glutes. The leg is one big kinetic chain and a weakness in one area can manifest in other areas. So while your symptoms may be in your Achilles, the root cause may be in your hips.
Can you start performing heel drops when you begin to feel soreness in your Achilles, or do you need to recover before you can start them? Soreness in my Achilles is keeping me off the bike and run, and I have IMAZ in 4 weeks, so I’m looking for the most expedient way back on track. Thanks.
I was told that a little discomfort is ok, but not to do them if serious pain
If you only have 4 weeks, also consider some ART.
My physio, with ART, some electro stimulation, some ultrasound can turn around a situation in about that. I don’t think just heel drops would get me from a bad situation to running again in 4 weeks, but we are all very different. I have osis, not itis
I never had it to the point I couldn;t ride. just run.
Also, if the achilles pain is more towards the heel, the drops, from a stair maybe less less effective then doing them on a flat surface. Similar idea but rather than drop below the stair, you go up on the good leg, down on the bad one. Google insertional achilles tendonitis/osis.
Your best bet is a good physio that knows ART. Mine in a pro tennis player that does ART, dry needling, accupuncture as well as the traditional physio techniques.
Find someone locally who knows run biomechanics and can take an honest look at the static and dynamic comparison of the rearfoot, midfoot, and forefoot in addition to the medical/rehab approach.
At a minimum, they need to look at rearfoot eversion and arch flexibility while running, and if you have a forefoot varus/valgus outside of the norm. Achilles is never “just a foot/lower leg” condition, but at least analyzing those will help shape the comeback.
Also- you mention shoe drop as well- if you’re in a low drop shoe (for sake of this conversation, lets put that mark on the wall at @5mm +/- or less) and/or have modified your run, that’s important. For example, there are many who mistakenly “coach” that the heel should not touch the ground during the run at any point- this attempt to not let the heel touch during stance is a nightmare for the Achilles.
If you do go this route, chances are they can help determine if you have an excessive tibial acceleration during stance (often looks to many without HD cameras as the knee and ankle flexes rapidly after initial impact- driving the knee forward).
Good luck-
Find someone locally who knows run biomechanics and can take an honest look at the static and dynamic comparison of the rearfoot, midfoot, and forefoot in addition to the medical/rehab approach.
I would love to find someone that could analyze my run and tell me if something is wrong and what type of shoes may gradually bring me to a better biomechanics. My achilles problems started when I was convinced to move to a more mid foot strike. By the time I backed off, the damage was done.
The knowledgeable guys are hard to find and I may be cynical, but there are 10 bozos that are going to hurt you for 1 guy that actually knows what he is talking about.
I would think this is something that could easily be done by video on a treadmill and there would be a list of 5 go to guys that would be “ST approved” 
You’re not being cynical- and I would wager that the “bozo to approved” ratio is much higher.
My achilles problems started when I was convinced to move to a more mid foot strike.
One of the many reasons the bozo ratio is higher.
Done by treadmill- yes, but the problem also comes when there are a number of folks using video and still can’t analyze, interpret, and make a solid COA- and yet they charge a few $100 for dogmeat feedback.
Rule #1 with run biomechanics- if a person is providing the service, and there is a strong indicator of polarized approaches (all of their info falls into "cushioned, stability, or motion control categories, or they have a poster/info graphic of good midfoot/forefoot run mechanics, they’re already wrong), and don’t use even a basic angle measurement software, chances are the info provided will be general and trendy at best.
Is the pain comes with swelling, it may be a bursitis.
Get an x-Ray to see if you have haglunds.
I have small bone chips in my Achilles. After years of running, I was getting a weird pain/swelling in my Achilles.
Months of PT and ART, rolling and hard rolling, yoga and static stretching, nothing helped.
X-Ray showed what it was. Now I run with inserts and it’s all good.
Can you start performing heel drops when you begin to feel soreness in your Achilles, or do you need to recover before you can start them? Soreness in my Achilles is keeping me off the bike and run, and I have IMAZ in 4 weeks, so I’m looking for the most expedient way back on track. Thanks.
Yes, you can do with them soreness, but avoid pain (as noted previously). You should also look to do some exercises on a balance pad or BOSU ball (one legged squats, etc).
Achilles injuries are notoriously slow healing. You might want to start preparing yourself for the possibility that 4 weeks is just not enough time. It could come around, but there is a strong possibility that it won’t.
“I was told that a little discomfort is ok, but not to do them if serious pain”
I agree with the above statement. I am on Ortho sports med doc who has also had chronic Achilles tendinosis for years. It flares occasionally, but I have been able to keep it stable for the most part with persistent eccentric calf exercises. Eccentric exercises have been show to help remodeling in chronic tendinosis, but it takes a LONG time. It really is the only scientifically proven treatment. PRP, needling, massage, etc aren’t scientifically proven, although you can find a lot of anecdotal stories of help from these.
To the prior poster with problems on the bike, you should look at your bike fit. Most people with Achilles problems only have issues on the run and are fine on the bike.
Regarding minimilistic and low drop shoes, these put more stress on the Achilles. The injuries I see after people switch to these are stress fractures of the foot (minimalistic ) and Achilles injuries (minimalistic & low drop). Low drop shoes are good for some people, but some people simply aren’t made for them. Agree with prior sentiment, if someone has a panacea for all (I.e everyone must be in a low drop shoe and adapt a mid-foot gait), seek advice from someone else. There are so many varients in biomechanics that a one solution for everything is not appropriate.
nice to have a ortho in the conversation
when I would wage full out war against the injury, heat at night also seemed to help. It’s hard to tell to what extent, but I was told it gets blood flowing to the injury. I would put a heat pad before bed, while watching TV. Do you agree with this ?
would you do heels drops as a preventative measure ? For example now my achilles are fine, should I be doing them anyways or simply when it starts to flare up ?
I have never tried but I know some people that talk about Graston. Any comments on that ?
Definitely recommend to continue doing the eccentric exercises when healthy. The mistake many people make is they stop doing the exercises that made them better once they are fine. Then they fall into the same cycles in 6-12 months of re-injury.
Graston falls into the category of not scientifically proven. My concern about graston is not the technique, but who is doing it. Because it is rather aggressive and deep, when done poorly it can cause harm. This gets back to making sure you are seeing someone who is good, proven, and has treated endurance athletes before with success.
Lastly, realize that the mind is extremely powerful. The placebo effect has been proven multiple times. If you think something is helping you, it will have an effect. As long as it isn’t physically harmful, I don’t see harm is many of the alternative treatments. And just because it isn’t scientifically proven now, doesn’t mean it may not be one day.