Achilles tendon

^ OK, thanks. Will definitely take a few days off, which is frustrating as fuck. Really don't want to pull out of Sunday. But hopefuly it may have eased off a bit by then.

Does tendonitis tend to be a long term problem or something that eases with rest (assuming you're a doctor here of course)?

If anyone is paying attention to this thread anymore... any reccommendations for sports physios in hackney area? Am really paranoid about this and was thinking about getting it looked at properly.

Cheers.

No help really but I just had to rest mine- blood supply is not so great to teh tendon so it takes a lot longer than a muscular injury to heal.

Very frustrating whilst you wait, and easy to inflame again when you get bored of inactivity.

Digging this thread out of the grave... to those that have had achilles pains, did anything in particular seem to help?

A bit concerned as I'm doing th Dragon Ride on Sunday....

Don't do it, you could make it worse and potentially tear/rupture the tendon.

Rest it for a couple of weeks. Maybe move your cleats (if you use them) towards the heel when you start cycling again?

Don't do it, you could make it worse and potentially tear/rupture the tendon.

Rest it for a couple of weeks. Maybe move your cleats (if you use them) towards the heel when you start cycling again?

The Dragon Ride thing was my next question. It's a pretty massive ride, the pain I've got at the moment is the result of doing about 70% the distance and 70% the climbing.

It's only a really dull ache, but I've done a bit of reading around it, and am shitting it about doing something like tearing it....

You can always slow down you know? If you do do it, don't go in overgeared.

^ Ha yeh. When I get on a bike at these types of thing I can't help but try to drop everyone and get a decent time.

On the gearing - I don't have a compact chainset, which is something of an issue....

If it comes to that I can lend you a compact chainset with 36/52 rings.

Had pain in my right Achilles tendon after a long ride last weekend, been off the bike for 5 days (not because i'm sensible and rest when I have an injury but because I had a really bad cold + fever). Got back on this morning and it's a touch better but still pretty bad.

I'm surprised no one consulted sheldon about this. His explanation is spot on for me, he put's it down to ankling and explains how it affected him for ages.

I'm really worried now, don't want to be off the bike for long as it's my sole means of transport. More importantly i'll have to miss a few rides i'm really looking forward to, especially tonight :(

Bump this up. I've been having trouble of late with my left Achilles, I think from overdoing it. But I've also recently changed from risers to drops & hoods, would this somehow manifest as an ankle problem? My cleats (spds) are plumb on and I have insoles too.

Perhaps you're now riding lower so ankling more around past the 6 to 9 o'clock positions? I eased off a bit, lowered my saddle and consciously stopped ankling.

Iv had overuse tendon injuries because of climbing in the past. Immobilization is not always the long term answer, one day on, one day off is a general rule and a good physio will most likely be the answer to your problems.

Good advice, I've been off the bike for nearly three weeks and it's really not much better. I have a physio booked for the 30th so hopefully a professional diagnosis and rehab plan. I'm going fucking insane.

Thought I'd bump this as a progress report for others. So I went to the physio and they measured my tendons flexibility and listened to the snap, crackle and pops as I walked and jumped. I was given the simple task of stretching like the pic below 3-5 times a day with moderate cycling permitted. A couple of weeks later and there was a marked improvement at which point I got lazy and stopped stretching and the problem began to resurface so now I stretch religiously and have started taking regular yoga classes again which I'd stopped 6 months ago when moving house.

I also think this problem arose because of the cheap winter overshoes (too small and tight) I'd been wearing had been pinching the tendon and causing it to rub. Lesson learned.

Tendon question.

In winter mornings, I get a very stiff achilles tendon in my right foot (I am mentioning this now because it has surfaced again, with the frost). It crackles when I'm on the bike, and although it feels unpleasant, the crackling doesn't hurt. Lunges with my right foot back are difficult as I can't really move my foot very well and if I push it too far it does hurt. "Too far" is a few millimetres, not several inches. It all seems to mostly go away by the evening once the tendon has had time to warm up, though I often still have lingering stiffness during lunges.

My foot generally has a good range of motion, even in the mornings when it's acting a bit weird. It doesn't hurt at all (except in the case of lunges, as above), and there is no thickening of the tendon / spurs in the general area of the tendon or heel.

I haven't really ridden a bike in anger for at least a million years, so we can definitely rule out cleat positioning, ankling, and any kind of over-use injury from cycling and running.

Given that it doesn't actually hurt, and given that it seems to be seasonal, and given that it doesn't seem to be caused by any of the usual suspects and is not the acute version experienced by dammit and what seems to be most other people in this very thread, is it something that I should worry about? Has anyone else had a similar issue that led to their foot falling off, I mean, or should I just man up and do my precious lunges in the evening instead?

@Inchpincher, wonder if you could update on your progress? I have picked up a bit of what I think is tendonitis in the left achilles. Cheers

My achilles is buggered to the extent that it partially split on a cycling holiday.

My insanely unqualified tips are:

Slam cleats back.
Lower saddle.
Be very careful if you also run.

My ankles have always been a bit tight, straight out of bed in the morning they make a very loud snap but on the whole I don't have any more serious problems that require physio. If they start to ache towards the end of the week a proper stretch really does wonders. This means holding the pose ^ for a good 30 seconds.

Do you know why you've recently developed the pain? Change in set up, shoes/cleats, miles, weight etc?

Yeah, I built a new sweet fixeh and went a bit hard on its first text run, esp with hills (last Sunday). Was getting stuff dialled in and it all felt great but in retrospect I obs went too hard because the pain started the next morning.

Haven't ridden it since and didn't ride at all last week, but went for a ten mile stroll yesterday and this morning its hot and inflamed again. Not too much pain but I can feel it creak when I move it. Commuted on Brompton this morning at grandma pace, didn't feel any worse when I got to work.

On the ibuprofen for swelling rather than pain and might do some icing until the selling goes down. I should probably also go see a doctor or physio...

A week off the bike is horrible, I sympathise. Anti inflammatories and rest is a good start, gentle regular stretching and then when you feel ready to cycle... go easy!

Oh and seek professional advice, don't listen to Internet doctorz ;)

Cheers! Iced it good last night, swelling is down a bit, getting an appointment to GP then perhaps referral to physio.

When I did mine I didn't find any short cuts, sadly- just had to wait for it to heal.

Did my longest ride ever last Thursday. Didnt stretch when I got home. Next day my left achilles was tight, I stupidly ignored this. Yesterday morning I did my standard club run, I was rearing new leg warmers that were quite snug fit.

Yesterday sfternoon my left achilles swelled and was squeeky/ creaky. No pain.

I am currently icing / hot treatment and ibuprofen. I could potentially take most of this week off to rest totally.

Dont want to go to gp if poss because walking.

Any other advice?

it sounds like you are doing the right things -rest, ice, compress and elevate (heat and cooling will help)

take your time, once the swelling has gone down it might be time to see a physio

tendons don't want to be stretched but you can work on the related muscles - trigger point therapy do a roller for the calves which could help