In the last year I have developed serious achilles tendonitis in both legs, but more pronouncedly in my left leg. Swimming has been deemed OK exercise, although pushing off the wall is painful!
But I have not been able to run at all in months. Even walking now hurts. I went to the sports medicine clinic, the doc recommended anti-inflamatories, a program of calf strengthening and stretching exercises, and a series of dextrose injections - both in the nerve to deaden pain and in the tendon tears to promote healing. I am on the waiting list (o wonderful public health!) so won't be able to get the injections for 6 to 12 weeks. So my question is - has anyone heard of this procedure?
I just heard about a new technique for tennis elbow--another poorly vascularized area of the body. Supposedly, doctors have had good success with nitroglycerine patches applied to the elbow surface, presumably to ehance circulation. I'm hoping to be a guinea pig for this procedure.
I had an achilles problem, too, but since I'm not much of a runner, I just stopped immediately. It did go away, but it took a while, and mine wasn't even all that much aggravated. I know how hard it is to step down temporarily from a sport you love.
Does biking hurt? This very knowledgable fellow at the UPMC Sports Medicine Center here in Pittsburgh told me that 95-99% of overuse injuries get better without surgery, provided you don't keep abusing the area (but instead do smart rehab.) See a good PT, but exercises that stress then quickly stretch the tendon are supposedly helpful. In the case of tennis elbow, this involves curling up a small weight with your wrist, then letting it drop down into bent back position. With Achilles tendons, I THINK he said to stand on the edge of a step, raise up to your tip toes, then quickly drop down (toes still on the edge of the stair) so your foot is bent at more than 90 degrees, and the tendon is brusquely extended.
PLEASE don't try this on your own, because I might be completely wrong about it. See a good sports PT and ask him or her about it--I think the phrase was something like eccentric stretches/contractions. Maybe a real PT who reads this will know what I'm talking about. The only point I mean to make: there is definitely action you can take to fix this problem without too drastic or invasive a remedy.
Former Member
is what the dextrose injections are called. They aren't steroids. The thought pattern is that by setting up an irritation the ligament/tendon becomes stronger due to scarring. The injection does contain a local anesthestic but that's only so the doc knows he's placed the injection in the right place.
While you're doing the injections you can't take anti-inflammatories. The whole idea of the injection is to create an inflammatory process.
It's been used for many years (so called "alternative medicine") but is moving more into the main stream.
It can be done more than a steroid injection as little dammage to the tendon/ligament due to tearing.
I tried a series in my tennis elbow. It didn't work. It works for some and not others--but it's worth a try.
Former Member
thanks for the imput. Jim, what you say is in line with what the sports med. doctor said, and the heel drop exercises you describe are similar to the ones he gave me.
As for laying off, I have! Almost a year of no running, no soccer, but lots of ice, gentle stretching and Advil. It's gotten worse, not better (whereas I used to think nothing of running 5 - 10 km several times a week, I now look for parking spaces close to the door...) Hence I've gone to sports med.
Another thing I was advised to do was wear a night splint - a "Strassbourg sock" that keeps my foot flexed at 90 degrees when I sleep. After only a week I notice a lot less pain and stiffness in my ankle when I take those first few steps in the morning. But talk about an uncomfortable sleep! Anyone ever worn one of these sock/splints? I think they were developed primarily for plantar fascitis.
