Parents Achilles Tendinitis relief?

[UpsideDown]

My DD, 13, has had Achilles Tendinitis for two weeks now. The Ortho said to rest (10 days no gym... she did go in but only did arms, abs, and some bars, and barely walked around), ice often, ibuprofen and come back for a follow up only if no improvement or if it gets worse in which case he will boot her or PT. No brace or wrap or anything for now.

She is improving, it does hurt less...... she can walk around and look normal. But the mornings are brutal. When home, she lays on the couch with her foot up, ices, and occasionally gently stretches it.

Does anyone have any btdt advice? Suggestions? The Ortho didn’t give us a time frame... does anyone know how long it usually lasts? Thank you in advance.

 

[spider_monkey]

My DD, 13, has had Achilles Tendinitis for two weeks now. The Ortho said to rest (10 days no gym... she did go in but only did arms, abs, and some bars, and barely walked around), ice often, ibuprofen and come back for a follow up only if no improvement or if it gets worse in which case he will boot her or PT. No brace or wrap or anything for now.

She is improving, it does hurt less...... she can walk around and look normal. But the mornings are brutal. When home, she lays on the couch with her foot up, ices, and occasionally gently stretches it.

Does anyone have any btdt advice? Suggestions? The Ortho didn’t give us a time frame... does anyone know how long it usually lasts? Thank you in advance.

Look up eccentric heel drops for Achilles Tendinitis. There's a protocol of how many to do (it's a lot) and how to do them. I'm surprised your ortho didn't recommend them.

 

[Mish]

My dd did exactly what yours is doing. Just had to wait out the fast and furious growth spurt she had. It probably took about 3-4 weeks total. She resumed practicing after about 2 1/2 weeks but was still painful.

ETA: My ortho did not recommend any drops either.

 

[UpsideDown]

Thank you. Yes, my dd Is having a growth spurt too... all in the legs. At 5’6”, she really wants to stop growing. I will look up those heel drops!

 

[thefellowsmom]

Massage her calves. There is a spot right in the belly of the big calf muscle that is often associated with Achilles pain. The spot is actually in the muscle beneath the two big ones so it is deep down there. You can dig around with your thumbs. You and she will know if you find it. Or have her take the affected leg and place the calf on top of the opposite knee and dig around. If this is contributing then the spot will hurt a lot and may even refer pain to her Achilles when you press on it.

Also Achilles stuff can be caused by flat feet or over pronation (I think that’s what it’s called). A trip to A really good pt or manual therapist could help identify the root of the problem.

I am not a doctor but with the guidance of my daughters excellent team of practitioners and my own research and trial and error we keep my dd with all her aches and pains going using trigger point therapy and many other modalities. My dd has very tight calves and struggles a lot with pain in her feet and heels. Never had to take time off or put it in a boot. It’s about managing it during her growth periods.

 

[skschlag]

Massage her calves. There is a spot right in the belly of the big calf muscle that is often associated with Achilles pain. The spot is actually in the muscle beneath the two big ones so it is deep down there. You can dig around with your thumbs. You and she will know if you find it. Or have her take the affected leg and place the calf on top of the opposite knee and dig around. If this is contributing then the spot will hurt a lot and may even refer pain to her Achilles when you press on it.

Also Achilles stuff can be caused by flat feet or over pronation (I think that’s what it’s called). A trip to A really good pt or manual therapist could help identify the root of the problem.

I am not a doctor but with the guidance of my daughters excellent team of practitioners and my own research and trial and error we keep my dd with all her aches and pains going using trigger point therapy and many other modalities. My dd has very tight calves and struggles a lot with pain in her feet and heels. Never had to take time off or put it in a boot. It’s about managing it during her growth periods.

We also used massage, with deep blue cream. We did the sever's stuff and it helped with that too. Hurt like crazy while doing it but he says it helped. Also did hot/cold alternating every night.

 

[thefellowsmom]

We also used massage, with deep blue cream. We did the sever's stuff and it helped with that too. Hurt like crazy while doing it but he says it helped. Also did hot/cold alternating every night.

Yes! Alternating hot cold.

 

[UpsideDown]

Thank you! The Ortho told us not to massage or do the Severs stuff (she had Severs last year). I think I know the spot in her calf though.... it’s always tight. And the few days before going to the Ortho I was following Severs protocol, thinking that’s what it was. Oh and yes, she is supposed to bot wear flip flops... only shoes or sneakers with good inserts.

It’s been two weeks, so I think she will be ready to try the massage , and heel drops too.

Thank you!

 

[Jeannie_spilf]

Also try KT tape for the Achilles. Also, heel cups and a pair of beam shoes would be a good suggestion for the high impact landings right now. It supports the tendon during practice and cushions the impact during exaggerated pronation. Extra time also needs to be spent on the flexed foot stretches. Gymnasts spend a lot of time on their toes or in a hard point. The flexed foot stretches counter the shortening of the Achilles’ tendon while in the pointed position.

I did gymnastics for twenty years and through a lot of pain (from 8-12 grade I had torn PCLs in both knees that were not surgically fixed until only recently, and I tore ligaments in both ankles). When I started back coaching last year the instability of walking on the mats and pits aggravated my Achilles tendonopathy. There were days that I left the gym after 4 hour practice and I couldn’t walk the rest of the day.

After the boot didn’t help much I was doing lidocaine gel, nitroglycerin patches, PT x3 week, and looking at stem cell injections. My strength and flexibility in my feet and ankles was great, but the crash mats killed me. I eventually quit coaching, but what seemed to help the last couple of months was the KT tape and good heel cups from my ortho/podiatrist in either my old beam shoes or my tennis shoes.

Good luck to your gymnasts. I hope this helps...

 

[UpsideDown]

Thank you. We do have heel cups. And a cheetah from her Severs disease she had last year. She is stil,hurting, three weeks later, but it is improving. She still cannot run or tumble or land, except for light tumbling on a tramp. What seems to have helped is wearing a night splint designed for plantar fasciitis. It keeps the foot flexed at night.