Achilles problem

Dammer

Hi all, hope some one can help me.

Can any one recommend a specialist/genius in Achilles tendon treatment.

I have gone to two different physio's and seem to be getting nowhere fast. I really miss my 5/10 K runs and footie.

tks folks.

Dublin area or Leinster counties

InTheTrees

For muscle pain that hasnt healed in the (regulation) six weeks of RICE, this treatment is absolutely amazing. MY lingering shin splints and calf strain were cured in two treatments. AFter eight weeks of being sidelined. It would also cover achilles issues.

http://www.astym.com/

Its related to Active Release Therapy but uses instruments, they go over your leg kind of scraping the muscles, like a massage with instruments, the next day you're all bruised up and by the next day pain, aches should be gone. Total miracle.

Apparently it breaks up fibrosis that accumulate in muscles from injuries during life and can weaken muscles and slow recovery. Which is why its for those lingering long term injuries, not the kind that would normally respond to a week of rest and ice.

I should add I have no affiliation i'm just a patient.

MacSwifty

Hi In the trees

I would be intersted also due about two years of Achilles tendonisitis - However the site link provided does not have any locations in Ireland just USA, Canada, Mexico and Japan. Do you have the name of a provider in Ireland I googled but nothing came up!!

Thanks

InTheTrees

None? I'm sorry. I know its new. New ish. I did some research when I started it because I'd never heard of it.

Its basically a course or rating your physio does so maybe there's a euro equivalent. There's also this one which is pretty much the same as far as I could find out:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graston_Technique

Both of those use instruments and are derived from the older ART which just uses the physios hands:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Active_Release_Technique

My PT uses a combo of both and i picked her purely by chance for a calf strain that wouldnt go away. I never dreamed she'd also cure the shin splints. I thought it was a gait problem.

MacSwifty

Bugger!

Thanks again

norrie rugger

OP, as one with experience with chronic trouble with my Achilles (both legs)I would advise you to go to the GP and request an MRI (easy if you have medical insurance), to assess the damage.

There is no proven quick fix for tendonitis (as far as I know) and getting it sorted the right way is much better than a rupture later on.

InTheTrees

It would be good to have a "Sports Medicine" section in the Sports section on Boards. I bet a lot of people in the other forums ask similar questions.

norrie rugger

InTheTrees wrote: »

It would be good to have a "Sports Medicine" section in the Sports section on Boards. I bet a lot of people in the other forums ask similar questions.

Except that it is fairly standard on Boards to refer all medical questions to the posters local health professional.
In many of the charters also

InTheTrees

norrie rugger wrote: »

Except that it is fairly standard on Boards to refer all medical questions to the posters local health professional.
In many of the charters also

A physiotherapists qualifications are not a medical question.

Is a "sports" massage medical therapy? I supose if you dont need a GP's referral it wouldnt be? But if it goes on your medical insurance it would be?

norrie rugger

InTheTrees wrote: »

A physiotherapists qualifications are not a medical question.

Is a "sports" massage medical therapy? I supose if you dont need a GP's referral it wouldnt be? But if it goes on your medical insurance it would be?

Tendonitis can require medical repair. Depends on damage.

Same for a lot of injuries. We can not know when posting

Dammer

InTheTrees wrote: »

My PT uses a combo of both and i picked her purely by chance for a calf strain that wouldnt go away. I never dreamed she'd also cure the shin splints. I thought it was a gait problem.

Hi ITT, certainly some good reading there. And where is your PT based? will you pm their details.

tks

airscotty

Total Laser Health - http://www.totallaserhealth.com/

I believe this method works well on the achilles. Iv never had it done myself but maybe others have?

Dammer

airscotty wrote: »

Total Laser Health - http://www.totallaserhealth.com/

I believe this method works well on the achilles. Iv never had it done myself but maybe others have?

I got a pm earlier suggesting the same... looks interesting. Is there nothing lasers can't do...

digme

I cut the back of my runners out that solved mine.

Domer

I have had great success in treating Achilles problems by incorporating Dry Needling into my Physical Therapy treatments. The needles really allow deep penetration into the fibrotic tissue of the tendon and allow increase blood flow to promote the healing process in an already a-vascular tendon. Its not a very pleasant experience, but is very effective when used in conjunction with a number of other modalities such as massage, contrast bathing, ice, xfibre friction, foam roller (calves) etc.

Many Physical Therapists are trained in Dry Needling, so it should be easy to find somebody with the skills in the Dublin area.

brownian

Getting a heel lift in your runners certainly helped me a lot. Available in many chemists as little foam wedges. Also in gel form, though they didn't suit me personally.


So did a rigorous stretching program, with lots of slow heel drops. Marie Elaine Grant near the Montrose Hotel is pretty good, if you need a physio in the Belfield/Stillorgan/Blackrock area.

tendon

Hi Jill Cook out of Melbourne is the worlds leading authority on tendinopathies and has published loads on the different stages of tendon injury, diagnosis and treatment etc. Should be able to find her on google. great podcast on the british journal of sports medicine site with karim Kham and cook on tendinopathies it is free to download.

As a general rule Tendinopathies are all about a lack of endurance through muscle groups such as calves, gluts etc. Stretching is of minimal effect in tendinopathies and if you have an insertional achilles problem(where the tendon joins your heel) it will likely make it much worse due to the added compression. ultasound exam is prob most helpful but really in practice its a clinical diagnosis. surgery is really not an option .

Its a great area but tendinopathies take alot of rehab work. It is all about load management complete rest is disasterous for tendons they need to be loaded but the tough bit is loading progressively. Soft tissue treatment/orthotics/ibubrofen/shoes etc can all help at different stages but 80% is load management and structured pelvic and lower leg endurance program that addresses your specific deficits. Eccentric heel drops really only helpful in old really degenerative tendons and are only part of the program. Bottom line tendinopathies have no quick fix and are all about management