My achilles is hurting but I didn’t injure it

Yesterday I had another member of Racquets toning down her workouts because her achilles is hurting a little.

It’s always worrying when tendons and ligaments start to pull and very few people understand what has caused it.

Once again this situation isn’t one that has been caused by a trauma – going over on the ankle during late night drinking or falling off a kerb while running.  Just woken up in the morning and walking and running causes tenderness in the back of the bottom of the leg just above the heel.

Prior to the issue starting our member had been doing  her usual exercise regimes – maybe worked a little harder a day or so before – maybe not.

So why does the achilles start to hurt ?  Worrying ?

No !

Actually most of these issues can be sorted very easily and often very quickly with a simple understanding of how the body is linked together.

So, first let’s understand that tendons and ligaments can’t be stretched.  They hold the body in place.  It’s the muscles that do the stretching.  The muscles connect to the tendons and ligaments and allow the body to move.

After exercise – whether mild or strenuous – toxins build up in the muscles and can cause them to stop functioning as elastic bands.  Just imagine an old elastic band – it just doesn’t stretch and certainly doesn’t retract.  Your muscles get like that but they shorten too.

The main muscles that affect the achilles are the calf muscles.  The big spongey things at the back of the lower leg.  

After exercise and especially a day or so after exercise you can find lumps in your calves – called knots.  These have tightened up your muscle and those parts won’t stretch and retract correctly.

By the muscles shortening the tendons and ligaments at the ends of the muscle are pulled – and this is where you get the pain.

So, to ease achilles pain you have to stretch out or massage the calf muscles.

I find the easiest way to massage the muscles in order to maintain the condition of them is to use a foam roller.  If the knots are ingrained you may need a massage therapist to sort them out for you before you can then continue to maintain – that depends on how long they have been left !

For foam rolling advice pop into Racquets and ask for Sue.

We can’t guarantee we can fix everyone’s joint pain but we’ve had alot of success with issues in ankles, knees, hips and back where the pain has just appeared from nowhere !