This was so helpful. The part where you said tendons won’t let you know until 24 hours later if you did too much was spot on. I’m 3 weeks post op so I’m non weight bearing right now. But I will refer back to this video when I begin physical therapy. 👍😊
Just want to say that you guys are so much more helpful than any PT I've been to (I'm on my third, none of them give a comprehensive rehab plan like you)
Hi Charlie, if you feel that you want a more detailed rehab plan, this is something that we can provide you with via video call. You can read more about how our online service works here: www.treatmyachilles.com/
Personal trainers are not highly educated in injury rehabilitation. Its not generally part of the course corriculum. Generally, a highly qualified physiotheripist or Osteopath is what you need for appropiate injury rehabilitation guidelines, unless the PT is really commited to his craft, he probably wouldnt know such things.
Thanks, this was exactly what I needed to hear. I’m recovering from a surgically repaired Achilles, I am feeling very impatient and wanted to just push harder to speed things up.
Ooh I know the feeling, but please don't. Your body heals at a certain rate and, whilst you can do lots to delay the healing, you can't do too much to speed it up. Every part of rehab has to start at a specific time. For surgically repaired ones, it is even more important. Best of luck with your recovery!
Such an informative and helpful video. I've been fighting with my achilles pain around 3.5 years now. The long story short, I sprained my ankle playing amateur football during summer. (one of 3 ligaments on the lateral side was ruptured completelly). At that time let's say, i didn;t get real guidance how to recovery properly so I was rushing with my exerscises right away after immobilization period which was around 4/6 to six weeks. Then maybe a month after, I stepped on the pitch again with obvious right calf atrophy. ( surpise, surprise....). Since then I was on and off the pitch. I was making breaks and doing some recovry exercises untill the pain went away and then I used to step back on the pitch. So it's probably obvious why it progressed to tendonitis. I really, liked ur point that you cannot rush the recovery with rushing exercise and you always have to progress slowly cause tendons heal very slow and you cannot go against biology. ( you might've said that in another video, cause I watched a few with this topic since last week). It's been a week since I started recovery by limiting my walking as much as I can, also lifting my heel with a heel raiser. ( to eliminate the irritation and pain completely) Today I also insterted 3 sets of 5 reps of double leg raises in a pain free ROM ( legs spread pretty wide ). I will track my reps in excel and will be increasing the load progressevly all the way up to plyometrics because I want to play without pain so badly and just be doing what I love).
Great help. Thanks so much for sharing your in depth knowledge. I’m currently nursing an Achilles injury in the mid section of the Achilles and trying to push along the recovery while still playing ultimate frisbee but realizing quickly it cannot be rushed. All I’m doing is prolonging the recovery and likely causing more damage. At the moment, my Achilles’ tendon is swollen and is forming a bit of a lump in the mid section. I’m doing some rehab exercises at home but I’m at the point that I should see a specialist to really know what’s going on and get referred to a PT for the proper rehab.
The idea that there are no shortcuts is very clear to people with this condition 😁 It took me over a year to heal my left achilles, and now it’s been 6 months and I’m only just starting to recover on my right.
Helpful video. Very grateful for the way you explained how the achilles heals differently after exercise and needs a bit more time. I am still trying to heal my tendon myself after a partial tear 3 years ago and multiple setbacks along the way. I never sought out immediate treatment but eventually did get ultrasounds and an MRI, physio and a specialist. I have degeneration and tendonosis just above the insert. Specialist has talked about non-invasive surgery to take out scar tissue as my tendon has thickened above the insert... but I am very hesitant about this, I don't want to make it any worse but fear the longer this goes on, the less chance I will have for recovery. I am still in pain 24/7 and flare-ups can be immobilizing. Used to run and walk a lot, can only do small amounts of walking at present.
Rehab can be effective, even in cases that has dragged on for a long time, but it is important to do the correct exercises and get the dosage right. If you wanted help with getting back to your normal activities, this is something that our team of physios can help you with via video call. You can read more about how the online consultations work here: www.treatmyachilles.com/
These are such good videos, thank you. I understand the 3/10 on pain whilst running - is there a similar scale for the hobble factor in the first steps of the day? The flare up and tendon pain is directly related to an increase in hill running in recent weeks, but the hobbling has been going on for months - it's a standard way of life...
Thanks for all your informative videos, it's very helpful. I've had a change of rehab which seems to be helping my sensitive tendon. I've been given double leg raises with slow progression: 2 sets x 10, for a week , then 3 sets of 8, 3 x 9, 3 x 10 then with weight (5% of bodyweight) I did upset the plan when I carried my 5 year old grandson up the stairs ;/ so I went from approx 4 kg to 22 kg. Didn't have any pain at the time but I had a limp next day for sure. I then rested for 3 days and started exercise plan all over again.. Does other exercise such as walking/steps etc weaken the tendon if you aren't strengthening at the same time? I have had scans and there are no tears or bone spurs- I do have a blood vessel (?) in the tendon- probably got that bit wrong sorry- but because of this it is called tendonosis..
Thanks for the info, very helpful. I had a full rapture when it came off the bone in August last year, and didn't understand how long the process for recovery was. I understand that most of the pain I have had lately comes from pushing myself too hard. So now I take time to rest in between hard workouts. Now I sometimes get pain from around the bone where they attached the tendon, I hope that will also pass.
I suffered achillies tear last Sept.. I am now currently lifting weights while I do my heel raises and rehab, I feel like I can return to running, would you recommend that I attempt to run 3k
I wish you can see my Achilles so I can know what I'm dealing with lol right now I can barely walk and don't have much mobility on my feet but that's also because I'm not moving around. Doctor told me to sit down for 3 weeks and wear a boot if I walk anywhere. My Achilles isn't torn though. Just a sprain on my Achilles muscle fibers that attach to my heal. So idk what I must do while sitting around Edit: my injury is on the left foot.. I used my right foot alot while walking around and now my right Achilles is starting to hurt. This sucks lol
Thanks so much for the videos. May I ask once full weight bearing, did you walk on it everyday? Did you have rest days? How did you process in number of steps per day? I keep one having set backs.
Hi John, think of walking in terms of strength training. When you first start doing walks, it is a "new" exercise that your tendon has to adapt too. So it is best to vary your walking distances in a week with some longer days and some short days and recovery days to allow your tendon the time to recover and rebuild. I can't tell what is the correct volume or frequency for you without assessing you and having an in-depth conversation but you will very likely benefit from not walking long distances every day. What is long is relative to what you've been doing in the last 4 weeks + your tendon's current sensitivity. Hope this helps. If you wanted more specific rehab advice and help with getting back to your normal activities, this is something that our team of physios can help you with via video call. You can read more about how the online consultations work here: www.treatmyachilles.com/
Admittedly, I've been ad-libbing my own Achilles treatment, and didn't do it gradually enough. But I've been having issues with it for over a year now. It's never been very painful. I can run with the injury without more than a niggle. On the other hand, the niggle is persistent, and once in a while I can feel my injured leg momentarily "failing" under me while running (and then it immediately goes back to normal). Now, I can, and often did, do 3×15 eccentric single-leg heel drops with 70kg of weight on me (body weight of 83kg, give or take a couple). The response? I couldn't notice a difference. The niggle persisted, and still does, but I didn't feel at any point it was getting noticeably stronger after putting all that load on it. I probably need to dial the weight down and start from that lower bar, progressing slowly up, but can't for the life of me tell where is the right spot. Any ideas?
It is a bit tricky to explain, because it's not 1 thing that we look at when we decide what is the right weight etc. for a person to start on. We don't really favour eccentric only protocols because they often flare patients up and they only train the eccentric phase - you need the concentric phase to be strong as well for the muscle to properly function (the Achilles and muscles work as a unit). So it may an idea to switch your exercises up and rather try heel lift + drop rather than just drop and start very low weights. Steph explained this in this blog post: www.treatmyachilles.com/post/eccentric-heel-drops-why-aren-t-they-working-for-my-achilles-pain If you wanted more specific rehab advice and help with getting back to your normal activities, this is something that our team of physios can help you with via video call. You can read more about how the online consultations work here: www.treatmyachilles.com/
@@TreatMyAchilles Thanks a lot! As a matter of fact, I've been doing both all along, but I'll probably use my recovery time after my next race to try to start the process from scratch, mord methodically this time.
I'm a driver and I'm overweight about 135kgs I have this problem it usually come and go but I have followed your helpful advise but you have not touch so much on us with overweight how do I train myself at home
Hi @mathewskamlewenguni2513 if you can provide me with more specific questions you have with regards to this, then it would help me make a more useful video. What exactly do you want to know with regards to training your Achilles at home when you are overweight?
Thank you for such an explanation. I'm 100kg male and I can do something like 20 slow double heel raises max (until failure, it's weak, cuz I am sedentary). But If I do just 10 reps with just 1 set I feel some sensation right after and the next day, sometimes for 48 hours. I set is not enough, but If I do more than 1 (let's say 3), my tendons would be on fire, so it's hard to progress. What should I try then? May be I can try seated calf raises with easy dumbbells on my legs? Let's say 3kg per leg (total 6kg) on my knees and calf raise for 3 x 10-15 reps? There is a guy, an author of "Overcoming Tendonitis" book. He said in his book that some of his clients don't response well on moderate reps range (8-12) in tendinopathy rehab. What he found is that the majority of his clients respond better to higher reps, 30-50 reps per set not to failure (slow reps, 2-3s eccentric part and 1-2s concentric). But I couldn't find any case studies of such protocols, most of the protocols suggest to go "heavy" like HSR (heavy slow resistance). I tried that on my triceps tendons cuz I also have it since I used to bench press a lot. I do just one set 30 reps of skull crushes with 3kg dumbbell every other day, it flare up my tendons but it calms down after a couple of hours. I still afraid of doing more than 1 set, cuz it seems if I go 3 x 30 reps, my tendons would become too sensitive again. But it seems lighter weights are safer for my tendons. So my question is, did you try higher reps protocols?
The highest reps we tend to go up to is usually 15 to 20 reps and then we aim to build the weight slowly with that. Our patients use a wide variety of programmes - some respond very well to low rep and high resistance, others do better with this higher rep type.
Hello Doc, i'm almost 80 days after my Achilles surgery and i have recovered almost all my plantar flexion and my dorsiflexion through therapy, but in the last couple of days, when i shift the weight from my heel towards the tip of the foot, i get some sort of pain on the Achilles tendon area, is that normal?i had my last orthopedic visit 10 daus ago and he told me the healing is good, i have strong push but naturally the muscles aren't there yet. Thank you
I have a complete rupture of my Achilles - can we have a video about this . I’ve been put in a plaster and been told not to put any weight on it for 6 weeks - surely I can put some very gentle weight on it. I’m terrified it won’t mend
Here's our video about ruptured Achilles tendons. I guess you can skip the first part about diagnosis. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-40ytqVSXLJg.html Putting gentle weight on it? Every case is different, so I cannot comment on that. Better to ask the clinicial who treated you. Good luck with your recovery!
Hello, all help is very much appreciated. I am on 6 weeks of non weight bearing with 20 degrees in a boot. I'm in middle of week 6, the doctor wants me to set my boot to zero degrees. And next week when I start partial weight bearing with zero degrees. To go from 20 degrees to just 0 degrees, isn't that dangerous?
We usually take a slow approach to that and gradually reduce the angle. But your doctor may have good reason for what they are prescribing so perhaps ask them.
Hello, treating my rupture non-operatively, will be in a boot in a couple of days... Will the concepts mentioned in this vid be applicable to my treatment option? Thanks in advance!
Hello, It's been about 6 months since I found out that I have >30% hemirupture, I did physiotherapy, I feel better (I CAN WALK without limping), I still have a little pain (like a burn), I'm following your explanations, very well documented and pertinent. I want to start a rehab, but when you refer to weights, are those weights that are put on the leg? I can combine this rehab with LLLT laser sessions (I purchased a laser device), but from what I understand from DV, it has not been proven that it would have a major positive influence.? Respectfully. Thank you N. Sergiu
The weights are ones you hold in your hand or place in a backpack on your back - you can find more advice about exercises here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Dp8gzq9zoy4.html Yes, laser doesn't really do much for healing.
I have achilles tendon rapture and I have done full recovery rehab but I am facing an issue that I still could not carry my body on one ankle raising exercise, And I am not sure if it is the subtalar joint or calcaneus That's giving me electric pain. Could you please advise me for any Ankle strengthen
We will be happy to help with getting back to your normal activities - this is something that our team of physios can assess and help you with via video call. You can read more about how the online consultations work here: www.treatmyachilles.com/
when you talk about pain and sensitivity what qualifies as pain when doing heel raises? My tendon sometimes feels mildly iritated after a few raises but not necessarily anything painful. I can just feel my injured tendon stretching more prominently than my healthy tendon. Obviously i'm not ready to move on to higher reps, but should I stop when I feel this or is this normal?
Hi Rohan, usually any increase of discomfort of up to 3/10 that settles back to your normal levels within a few hours after doing the exercises and does not cause an increase in your symptoms in the 24 hours after is absolutely fine to have. You can find more advice on monitoring pain in this video: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-yekV47NcQOk.html
No, it doesn't. If you're finding more than one part of your body is painful at the same time it may be useful to speak to your doctor so they check for inflammatory disease.
It really depends on where in the tendon your injury is. We find that insertional Achilles tendinopathy can often feel worse after a bike ride because the position of the foot on the peddle seems to irritate it. But our patients with mid-portion can usually bike without problems and find it a great adjunct to rehab to keep them fit and help reduce the frustration of not being able to run for a while.
