Is Anyone a Runner? Possible Runners Injury....

Yes definitely go to an orthopedist. My husband had this last year. It is a slight tear with a calcium deposit that has built up. It will not go away on its own. My DH had physical therapy, heat treatments and ultrasound treatments for 2 months. It took a while for any sinificant improvement. He must stretch everyday before excersize. He is at 90% now but flair ups still happen. Take care of it sooner rather than later. HTH, Nana

D. - how old are your runnings shoes? Sometimes that can be the problem - or you may have shoes that are not right for you. I suggest you go to Lukes on Oak Lawn - and ask for Terry Jessup. He is a running shoe specialist - the best in the area. He has helped me so much over the last 23 years that I have been running (and I ran through my pregnancy - actually ran 3 miles on the day I gave birth to my son - who is now 8 years old!).

I hope this helps. I hate getting injured and not getting my run in. It also affects my mental health. I've been told that I'm not the nicest person when I can't exercise!!

Hi D.!
Not sure exactly what it is you might have, but you're probably right that it's an overuse injury. It's good you stretch before and after, and be sure you've got good shoes - you need to get new ones around every 400 miles. Also - you might consider the surface on which you're running - is it always roads? Can you do some trails? Softer surfaces are obviously not as hard on your body. I rotate between several different routes with varied surfaces. And then it is *really* important that you give your body a rest every now and then, so not running 7 days a week - maybe just 4 or 5 with a day off in between some of the others. You may want to see a doctor about the achilles, but besides that, I would highly recommend a good massage therapist - someone with training in deep tissue massage or sports massage therapy - that is an absolute necessity.
Good luck!
-Christina

Sounds to me like it could be an achilles tear. If that's the case, you definitely don't want to stretch it. The bump could be swelling around the tear. Definitely go see someone. I am a former Ironman triathlete who has had many running injuries. Try riding a bike or swimming to keep your fitness up. They even sell aqua joggers (floatie around your waist) for the pool. They are often used by people who can't run due to injury.

Rest is good, along with a.m. and p.m. stretching of the achilles. It is often due to overpronation(ie foot rolling in too much on arch). Also you may be in need of new shoes, or an orthotic which really supports your arch.
The bump may be fluid/inflammation from little tears. I would ice it often as well.

D.,
That is a vert painful injury. If you have a bump and you are not improving, you may have a tear in the tendon. This is usually a serious injury and does not heal itself. I would recommend that you have someone look at that just to make sure. I hope that I am totally wrong but I would suggest a look by a doc. Bless you, W.
Single mom. Of 5 children. 1 is out of the nest and 4 are still home. Experienced lots of interesting injuries and they have all lived to tell about it!:)

I've run for years and about 1.5 yrs ago developed plantar facitis. My podiatrist said that the tendon that connects to the ball of your foot runs along the backs of your legs, all the way up into your hips - your Achilles is directly connected to the Plantar Facia. Obviously it changes and connects differently along the way, but it all starts with your feet. During my worst time with this, my Achilles would hurt too. I ended up having to get Orthodicts that were cast for me, and I've taken a year of Celebrex (anti-inflamatory), and iced it 2x/day. It's FINALLY under control and I'm training for a Sprint Triathlon. And, I got some really supportive running shoes (for running) and really supportive walking shoes (for everything else). The days of fun flip-flops are over for me, but it's worth it not to be in pain!!!

Go to an orthopedic specialialist right away. Dr. McNutt in Frisco is excellent with sports injuries.

I am an athletic trainer part-time and mom full-time, but can tell you from the many years experience that is an an jury that should be looked at by a doctor. I would continue stretching and would for the time being try non-impact exercises (exercises that do not make the pain worse are the ones I would stick with), take an NSAIDs, and ice massage (get the small paper drinking cup, freeze it, and then massage over the site for 5-10 minutes or until the site is red and numb). I would go and get a heel-cup and possibly an orthotic made. I would go to Take-5 on Camp Bowie. Contact me if you would like and I can give you the name of the owner~ he can get your molds done for your shoes and check out your gate to see if the injury is caused from overuse, or true gate issues. The reason for seeing the doctor is to make sure that it is not a tear. Even if it is a tear, the response to that would be physical therapy and cessation of running for a period of time. Achilles injuries generally take a while to heal, so I would get this looked at and taken care of so that you can get back to running. Keep me posted!

Hi D.. I believe you may have strained that tendon and it could take a while to heal. I think you should see you dr and make sure there is nothing else wrong. Hope this helps

My husband is a PM and R doc and ortho, he tells me it sounds like achillies tendonitis.He would get into see a sports doc, he knows a few if you need good referral.

Whatever you do, STOP RUNNING for awile. That is the hardest thing for we runners, but take it from someone (me) who confounded a lot of running injuries by stubborness...take a break or it will get much worse! The RICE recipie is the standard for most injuries like that. So until you get in to see a doc--Rest, Ice, Compress, and Elevate as much as possible.

If it were me I'd go to the doctor...
If you have insurance a good place is the WB Carrell Clinic near Northpark.

I think an achilles injury is not something you want to let go in case it's the achilles separating from the attachment site or something like that.

D.-
Definitely sounds like you need to lay off running for a few weeks. I work at a running speciality store so I see alot of these types of injuries. You probably strained the achilles, and pretty much all the advice you have been given helps... Also, I would try a heel lift to wear with other shoes, that will help take strain off your achilles tendon. There is a cream called Traumeel that helps with inflammation for alot of people, it is completely natural, homeopathic ointment, if interested let me know I can tell you where to get it. My boss tore his achilles and Traumeel was the only thing that got him running again after many doctors telling him he never would.

Good luck!

Good morning! Wow! Been there done that! I know your pain and you are so right...it can get much worse. Dont' wear anything that touches the heel (you're blessed with so many choices these days of mules and flip flops), put an ice pack on it for about 10min. at a time and off for 10min. (this stimulates circulation in that area) and no more stretches until no more pain. I suffered with one and then the other for a long time after walking 8 miles in New York City in new walking boots! The cortizone shots did not help and after wearing a Dr. prescribed walking boot for 6 weeks, the achilles tendon tore my first hour out of the boot and I had to be in a non-weightbearing cast for 8 wks!! Rest and pampering now will save a lot of down time later. Hope this helps and I'll be praying for you.
PS. THERE IS A SLEEPING BOOT THAT KEEPS THE FOOT AT A RIGHT ANGLE TO THE LEG WHICH IS A NATURAL ALL NIGHT STRETCH TO THE ACHILLES TENDON. THEN THE DR. RECOMMENDED ME TO PRETEND WRITING THE ABC'S IN THE AIR WITH MY FOOT BEFORE GETTING OUT OF BED EVERY AM.

Hi D. -
I used to be a runner, stopped when I had my children, and recently started again. I thought I had really bad shin splints and they wouldn't go away. It kept getting worse in my right leg. Some days it would hurt so bad I couldn't even knell or walk. Finally I went to the doctor and found out I had a stress fracture. I have still worked out, but stopped running and walking and do mostly core and upper body. For cardio I cycle or use the elliptical, but I had to make sure I used my right heel to keep from putting pressure on my fracture.
It's now been about 3 weeks, and after icing it daily and about 100 advil - it is pretty much healed up. I haven't started running again, my doctor advised me to ease back into very slowly. Honestly though, I have been able to vary my routine so much that I don't miss running as much and I still work out just as hard 4-5 times a week.
Hopefully it is nothing more, but they did do x-rays, so I would go to the doctor and have it checked out.

Good Luck! L.:)

I run and I have never had that injury from running. Is the bump near the heal? I had a bursitis once at the base of my achilles tendon that was incredibly tender - I got it from keeping my foot on the clutch of my car! I commuted an hour each way in a stick shift car!

Be careful with an achillies injury. They can tear easily. (the voice of experience mine almost ripped in half). If after resting for a week it's worse go to the dr. A good orthopedic who specializes in sports injuries is the best choice.

Sounds like you've developed a "Pump bump". It is damage to the Achille's at it's attachment to the heel. I would check in with the doctor for sure. In the mean time STOP running...do some biking, swimming or elliptical (if not painful), stretch a ton (to tolerance) and try ice massage directly on the bump for 5 minutes. good luck.