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Achilles tendon problems are amongst the most frustrating and difficult of all injuries athletes have to face. The injury is no respecter of persons so it doesn’t matter if you are a grade one Olympian or a fair weather enthusiast who occasionally throws on a pair of running shoes for a quick jog around the block.
If you take part in strenuous load bearing exercise involving the legs then you are very likely to encounter some degree of Achilles tendinitis at some time in your athletic career.
In fact, the older you get the more prone you are to the problem. In athletes over the age of 40 it is the most commonly reported injury. The constant strain of extensive and frequent exercise eventually causing this extremely powerful ligament in the lower leg to protest, resulting in anything from a mild strain to a major separation of the ligament from its protective sheath.
Whatever the degree of severity, the result will be pain and an enforced respite from training.
Traditionally, treatment has involved the use of ice, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, orthotics, cortisone injections, ultrasound and massage along with rest and a whole range of oils and lineaments containing somewhat doubtful medicinal qualities. The success rate using some or all of these methods is not very high and almost always depends upon resting and a lengthy lay off. Chronic cases often end in surgery, which again necessitates a long recovery period.
Recently however, studies have shown that specific exercises for the calf muscles can do a lot to prevent Achilles tendon injuries and in many cases where injury has already occurred, can even effect a cure without recourse to surgery.
Don’t expect over night miracles, the exercises in most cases cut down the recovery period, but it can still take many weeks before you’re fit enough to resume training.
If you’re already suffering with an Achilles tendon problem try incorporating the following exercises into your existing treatment programme. If you’re free of injury make them part of your warm up routine to keep injury at bay. Either way, remember to start slowly by stretching and warming up thoroughly.
Exercise 1
1. Stand on your RIGHT foot facing a wall. You need to be about 30 inches away.
2. Your LEFT foot needs to be off the ground and towards the front of your body with the leg straight.
3. Bend your RIGHT knee keeping your body straight.
4. Your LEFT leg should begin to go forward and your toes touch the wall. Keep your leg straight!
5. Return to the starting position.
6. Repeat the move, but this time turn your LEFT foot to the LEFT and try and touch the wall with your toes. (You may not quite be able to reach).
7. Repeat the move again, but this time make your LEFT foot cross in front of your body and try and touch the wall with your toes.
8. Repeat the three moves up to 6 times each.
9. Repeat the whole series by standing on the LEFT leg.
Exercise 2
1. Find a step at least 6 inches high and stand on it with the heels hanging in mid-air.
2. Keep you body upright and the legs straight.
3. Use your none injured leg to lift your body upward and flex your ankles.
4. Remove your none injured leg and take the weight on the injured leg.
5. Gently lower the body down below the step and then back up again, keeping your leg straight.
6. Do the same again, but with the knee bent.
7. Do the exercises 3 times each, twice a day.
8. Don’t forget to do the same for the uninjured leg and be prepared for some muscle soreness!
The purpose of these exercises is to develop and build up the calf muscles. The reason being that these muscles control the way the ankle flexes during exercise. The stronger the muscle, the less chance the ankle has of over pronation or turning inward which in turn could lead to injury of the Achilles tendon. Put another way, the stronger your calf muscle, the less strain on your Achilles tendon!
Once you become used to the exercises, you can increase the speed and repetition and even add weights to build up calf muscle strength, but remember, don’t over do it! Too much too soon can actually aggravate rather than cure your injury!
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