On January 21 I suffered a high ankle sprain and Achilles injury. I completed a month of PT and the workers comp doc (who was apparently a C- student at whatever state med school he no doubt attended given the quality of care I experienced) told me “it takes time” to heal. Which I believe is accurate in so much as it isn’t wrong. But, how much time?
My ankle is still weak (but not actively sore, anymore) and the Achilles still hurts, is very tight and limits my activities … running is painful, can’t jump, etc.
Achilles injuries are notoriously slow to heal, as there is minimal blood flow down there. I suffered from an inflamed achilles last year, and RRoof told me to expect it to take about 100 days to be back to feeling normal. He was right.
Are you doing eccentric calf raises? These can really help, depending on the particular injury.
Eccentric Calf Raises are basically weighted heel drops. Google it, there are many videos on youtube that will show you how to do them. I was doing 2-3 sets of 15 reps, twice a day. The key is to raise yourself back up using the other leg only - do not contract the muscle in the leg you are exercising. Also adding a weight is important (start small, build up over time). Doing them without holding any additional weight is a waste of time.
I sprained my Achilles a bit over a month ago. I think I injured it by stretching/pulling it after an 18mi run. I had googled many spots to read up on it. What I was told and read is 1. yes it takes a long time and 2. rest it 3. do not stretch it out
I am feeling better now and running again, but took about a week and a half off with no running. I did bike some but seated only. It was too painful to stand. I began with just a couple of miles and it hurt a lot to start off but felt much better after the first mile. I spent a lot of time with a roller working my calf’s and think that helped as well.
You need to figure out what may have led to the ankle sprain. Many ankle sprains have much more to do with hip mobility and strength than the ankle itself. I have worked with a lot people who have chronic foot and ankle problems/instability. We work on their ankle as well but for many of them, improving the function of the hip abductors (ie. Glute med/ Glute MIn/ Glute Max/ Tesor Fasca Lata…) is crucial. This also helps in the healing process. If you take away the cause (weakness) it will allow the injured tissue to heal much quicker. you have to look beyond the area of the body that is injured b/c all the joints are interrelated.
Take your time with the Achilles. I ran Boston on a tendonitis filled Achilles…4 years later I am just getting over it (never let it fully heal). The eccentric heal drops were the thing that helped the most. Good luck. Take your time.