Achilles Swelling?

shuffler said:

For a month or so I've been doing some excellent calf exercises to
alleviate a longstanding right achilles pain and it seems to have
worked. Lately my mileage has gone up to 5 or 6 miles per run and
earlier in the day, when it used to hurt the most.
However when someone is comparing the two tendons the bad one looks
definitely thicker than the good one - does anyone know what this is a
symptom of? My running is improving and consistent, any pain goes
after half a mile or so, so maybe I should ignore the visuals!

Don't ignore what your body is telling you. You still have achilles
issues as evidenced by pain when you initially run and the swelling.
OTOH, since you didn't notice the swelling before, maybe you didn't have
major issues initially. (Mine were obvious.) I'd still consider your
rehab as you've been doing and not get aggressive with hills. I find
certain kinds of hills actually help stretch my achilles at this point -
but I haven't had any swelling for a couple years (knock on wood).

Dot

--
"Success is different things to different people"
-Bernd Heinrich in Racing the Antelope

shuffler said:

For a month or so I've been doing some excellent calf exercises to
alleviate a longstanding right achilles pain and it seems to have
worked. Lately my mileage has gone up to 5 or 6 miles per run and
earlier in the day, when it used to hurt the most.
However when someone is comparing the two tendons the bad one looks
definitely thicker than the good one - does anyone know what this is a
symptom of? My running is improving and consistent, any pain goes
after half a mile or so, so maybe I should ignore the visuals! Can't
say if the size was different in the injured lay-off, did'nt look,

Shuffler

I bet it's either scar tissue or inflammation that is making it appear
larger. Have you taken any long-term anti-inflammatories like Aleve to
see if it changed in size? The back of my leg/upper calf has hurt for
over a year, but only on inclines. How about yours?

Soeun

<shuffler> wrote

Quoted message said:

My running is improving and consistent, any pain goes
after half a mile or so, so maybe I should ignore the visuals! Can't
say if the size was different in the injured lay-off, did'nt look,

I think you're nuts to do any running if it hurts at *all*.

Been there, done that.

My experience (about 80,000 miles run and over 150 races) is that you ice
it, don't run, and when you gradually start up again, you stop and walk at
the first sign of pain or discomfort. I am usually able to hike or bike
when it flares up.

The Achilles is one of those things that does not get better if you push the
envelope (unlike weight lifting, or speedwork).

If you push it too far (and I hope you haven't), you can get permanent
anatomical changes (chronic tendonosis), and you'll have a weak tendon for
life. A real Achilles heel...

See this, for example: http://www.coolrunning.com.au/expert/1997c014.shtml

Their treatment suggestions are not agressive enough: I recommend doing
whatever it takes to keep it from hurting at all: biking, hiking, or if
that doesn't work, complete rest. Ice is very good in my experience -- it
seems to triple the healing time.

-- Dan

One more thing...

Avoid Advil and the like. It masks the pain and interferes with the natural
inflammatory process which is how we heal.

Icing (2-3 minutes off and on 3 times, several times a day) is the best
therapy.

I've gotten some serious injuries by using drugs to override the pain
signals.

-- Dan

Will anti inflamms act as an anaesthetic? Never tried them for this,
but I am wary that if they numb the pain that I'll race off thinking
"I am cured" and do more damage?
I've had calf niggles on the right (the afflicted side) for a while.
If its any connection my right hamstring is shorter than the left - so
many injuries have their origins somewhere else…….
Shuffler

Quoted message said:

shuffler said:

For a month or so I've been doing some excellent calf exercises to
alleviate a longstanding right achilles pain and it seems to have
worked. Lately my mileage has gone up to 5 or 6 miles per run and
earlier in the day, when it used to hurt the most.
However when someone is comparing the two tendons the bad one looks
definitely thicker than the good one - does anyone know what this is a
symptom of? My running is improving and consistent, any pain goes
after half a mile or so, so maybe I should ignore the visuals! Can't
say if the size was different in the injured lay-off, did'nt look,

Shuffler

I bet it's either scar tissue or inflammation that is making it appear
larger. Have you taken any long-term anti-inflammatories like Aleve to
see if it changed in size? The back of my leg/upper calf has hurt for
over a year, but only on inclines. How about yours?

Soeun

Thanks Dan, please see reply to rtc_stu above, I read his advice
before yours,
Shuffler

Dan Stumpus said:

One more thing...

Avoid Advil and the like. It masks the pain and interferes with the natural
inflammatory process which is how we heal.

Icing (2-3 minutes off and on 3 times, several times a day) is the best
therapy.

I've gotten some serious injuries by using drugs to override the pain
signals.

-- Dan

"Phil M." <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

Dan, your view is a little different than what I've come to understand
from disussing this with Doctors and Pharmacists. I work in a hospital
and I've asked them about this. Any inflammation is going to cause
pain. You may be mistaken to believe that Advil is masking the pain. It
in fact is reducing the inflammation which causes the actual pain,
therefore it is healing faster not masking. If you feel any pain while
running you should stop because the inflammation is getting worse.
Initially ice should be used to reduce excessive inflammation until the
Advil takes affect. Advil will limit the inflammation cascade not hide
it or stop it.

Yes, Phil, I've considered that, and I do use advil -- say after a marathon
or 50 miler where it really hurts just to get around. However, during this
period I'm just walking around, not running.

I've read that muscle soreness abates *more quickly* in the absence of
nsaids. The relief from inflammation delays the healing. The only reason I
take advil on day 1 & day 2 after a brutal race is if the pain relief
benefit overrides the extra day or two it will take to heal completely.

In the instant case, lowering inflammation (which entails suppressing the
body's healing mechanisms) will lead to a false comfort which would tend to
let the eager athlete think it's ok to Go when he needs to Stop.

-- Dan