Got a physio appointment coming up shortly but just wanted some wisdom from the STW

The combination of doing too much too soon (300 miles one week, followed by 400 the next after 0 miles the previous few weeks) and a slightly misaligned cleat led to my Achilles ballooning up and giving a bit of pain. Never had issues with it before.

6 weeks rest later and was out at the weekend, another big ride stupidly though I feel like I’m back to square one.

Anyone any magic tricks to help the healing process or experiences and rough times to heal?

I have a trip all booked for the Raid Pyreneen in 4 weeks which is looking like a very stupid idea. Any ways of getting through it, good pain killers? Strapping it up? Grin and bearing it? The hills hurt the most and the Raid is a beast!

Get a bike setup done to work out if you are in the right place and as you are well aware build up your miles !

Yeah that’s been on my list to get though it’s my same bike I’ve had for years, the only thing that had changed was my cleat.

It’s funny when you’ve never had a problem you feel invincible until these things happen. Very frustrating given ive got a trip of a lifetime planned.

Get the physio to work on everything – hamstrings, quads, hip flexors and glutes as well as calves, maybe book in a couple of follow-up sports massages as well. Overly tight hamstrings and glutes were the root cause of my achilles issues.

It may be there is something else in your bike set-up that is the underlying cause of the problem, not just the cleat which is an immediate cause. Perhaps saddle a shade too high? The initial trigger for my flare up last year was a new dropper post which was a tiny bit too long.

Might be worth getting someone to cast an expert eye over your bike fit.

In the short term, I dropped my saddle an extra few mm to ease the pressure on my achilles.

Yep see a physio I’d say and the other obvious stuff.

I’d always thought cleats affected knees?

Same shoes? I got achilles pain from a pair of sneakers, had to charity-shop them.

Yeah same shoes, I read online the further forward the cleat the more pressure it puts on the Achilles, which makes sense.

I’ll definitely look into a bike fit, been on my to do list for years, originally not for pain issues just for the gainz you know! 😉

Deep down I know the Physio isn’t going to recommend going on my trip and arguably I wont enjoy it as much, it’s just very hard to pass up on.

I read online the further forward the cleat the more pressure it puts on the Achilles, which makes sense

Yep – I’ve read this too as I suffer from occasional bouts of Achilles Tendonitis.

Whilst moving the cleats further back (towards the balls of my feet/arches if that makes sense) probably didn’t cure it, I do think it helped by not agravating it further.

My physio recommended a progam of increasing number of heel raises to strengthen surrounding tissue etc.

Good luck. Hopefully your physio can get you sorted before your trip.

If you go to a half decent physio they should be able to feel if it is bad Tendonitis or not.

If it is Tendonitis the only real resolution is rest (depending on severity).  Massage and stretching all help, again dependent on severity.

And sort your cleats, no need to pay someone to do that for you.

6 weeks rest later and was out at the weekend, another big ride stupidly though I feel like I’m back to square one.

This is your problem too.  You should have started with 5 miles and see if that caused any problems.  If not increase by 10% each ride.

I am just recovering from an ankle Tendonitis problem, I tried the short period of rest followed by back to normal (the experts told me not to) now 9 months later I am just back to exercise and building back up the mileage.

Don’t be daft and wreck your future.

No real advice other than listen to what physios and those in the know say.

It’s very easy to ignore and push through these things, but a snapped achilles is a nasty injury to recover from.

Took me 18 months before I was riding trails again, and even now 8 years on I still suffer with my lower leg requiring massage every few months to release toxins and free the solid lump it turns into.

I was of the thinking of let it heal before heading back out again. Had a trip planned which in hindsight should’ve pulled out of but thought I was back on the mend having not done much in the six weeks.

I’ve moved my cleats as far back as they’ll go but I guess the mileage and hills were just too much over the weekend.

I’m keeping my fingers crossed the physio is a magician!!

I’ve been popping ibuprofen to help keep the swelling down, anything else worth considering? I iced it as well after the weekend and the swelling has dropped but still bowed out compared to my other heel. Its stopped ‘creaking’ now as well if that makes sense.

Don’t snap it! I snapped mine in February. Still very much recovering from it. Broken vertebra healed more quick than this.. .

https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=VB_kAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA92&dq=phil+burt+sore+achilles+tendon+pain+long+hill&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwil7ICNgvDXAhUGD8AKHQgYCxYQ6AEIJjAA#v=onepage&q&f=false

Former long term major sufferer, now light sufferer.

Eccentric heel drops, foam roller, high volume injections, less activity but don’t stop completely. Stretching can actually make it worse in some cases.

https://runnersconnect.net/achilles-tendonitis-and-insertional-achilles-tendinopathy-in-runners/