Does the “give” of a treadmill put too much pressure on a recovering Achilles? Something tells me that I would be better off running on a solid pavemented surface, but I’m just not sure.
from my own persnal experience yes. I feel like when you start out nice and easy, your foot is in contact with the belt longer than it would be on the road. For me, all my injuries always hurt more on the treadmill (even a good treadmill and even when i do start out really slow like i do on the road). good luck.
You’ll need to try it and see. It’s likely a good option. It takes out the wildcard of the environment. No curbs, pot holes, slanted surfaces, no up hills.
Overall, if you are at the point that it’s appropriate to start running again, a treadmill is likely to be your best option. It’s also good to seek out a shoe with a higher heel relative to forefoot.
Does the “give” of a treadmill put too much pressure on a recovering Achilles? Something tells me that I would be better off running on a solid pavemented surface, but I’m just not sure.
I don’t know about the “give”. I would prefer a surface with less impact. I’m not sure that running on the hard pavement is the best option.
I would avoid anything that causes too much stretching of your Achilles. I would not do any steep inclines. In fact, if you could set your treadmill on a downhill mode, you would have even less stress on your Achilles, but you may end up with more stress on your shins. So whatever you do, be carefull. If it doesn’t feel right, back off.
Until you are fully recovered, I would avoid any shoes with negative heels (eg Newtons). You may be better off with a relatively high heel cushion. As you recover more you could try decreasing the heel somewhat, depending on your flexibility.
Thanks, folks!