In this article, I’ll use Achilles Tendinopathy (Read: Activity-related soreness in the achilles/back of ankle) as a case study example for how multiple different mechanisms can create this dysfunction. I’ll touch on these factors from a more ecological perspective, and attempt to give a constructive thought process on how you can understand your body BETTER.
It’s important to know what your experience level and athletic ability will allow you to do. This determines your program, and how it properly suits you. Some common mistakes:
Action: Choose a goal pace for your next 3 runs. If it was hard to maintain in at least 2 of 3, consider adjusting your paces.
Don’t get me wrong; running with your buddies and having a community is great. That said, it’s important to take these things into consideration in the process.
Action: Plan ahead for your next group run and match up with someone on a similar pace and distance. Stick to the plan, even when others are running faster.
Cross training is great, and most of us need to do some strength training to supplement our running programs. Where athletes run into trouble is when they get interested in too many activities. Picture this, you’re training for a half marathon, and running 4-5 days a week for it (Let’s assume you’re on a program suited to you). Additionally, you go to HIIT class 2x/week, Spinning 2x/week, and play pickup basketball with your friends.
As interest in fitness has increased, it’s more and more common for people to add too many activities. With the schedule above, the athlete is training 11 sessions a week of lower-body load, leaving almost no opportunity for recovery here. When our most frequent activity is running, achilles pain is incredibly common if you’re mixing in too many other sports.
Keep in mind that while you may be executing all of these workouts properly, the body isn’t built to handle the cumulative load.
We like to keep it simple with technique advice over the internet. People with real issues should seek a professional analysys from a Physical Therapist who is experienced in assessing runners, as well as the rest of your body.
For now, consider this:
Action: Take your next easy run as an opportunity to focus on your technique. Don’t apply new technique thoughts to long runs right away. New habits will take time to build reliability.
Most of us are training on rock-hard surfaces all of the time. In NYC, our road runners are pounding pavement all the time, and it makes for an even higher level of importance of managing ground contact time. That means that as you begin to contact the ground, your body is already prepared to resist those loads upward into the joints. Athletes with appropriate elasticity, and plyometric capability will look like they are trampolining off of the ground into the next stride, whereas less experienced athletes tend to slap their foot into the ground, creating more load on the achilles to decelerate this increased load. Ground contact should have the following qualities: short, quiet, and forward-propelling. These thoughts allow us to prevent the ground from putting the brakes on every step, and compromising the efficiency of our runs.
Action: Mix in softer surfaces for recovery runs when you can.
Everyone knows a runner that is running FROM something, and another runner that is running TOWARDS something. It’s definitely okay to use running as a decompressing emotional release, but if you’re becoming dependent on that feeling, it may lead to poor choices in your training, or going off program. Achilles pain in runners is highly correlated with poor choices of intensity and volume.
Quiz yourself: In the last 3 months, how many times have you run too fast, too long, or trained when you weren’t supposed to? If the answer is more than 1, try to be reflective in your upcoming training runs, and talk to a friend about how you’re feeling. Chances are that people in your community are feeling stressed too, and you can help each other get comfortable with staying on-program.
Your s#!t really DOESN’T move properly
Check on these lesser-known areas that can compromise the Achilles tendon:
Sub-talar joint and ankle mobility: Plant your foot flat on the ground in a half-kneeling position. Attempt to rock side-to-side on the heel, encouraging the ankle to invert (cupping the foot) and evert (flattening the foot). Take note of how much it can move, and compare to the other side. A side effect of extreme stiffness here is a calf and achilles that works too hard to stabilize ground contact.
FFE (Front Foot Elevated) split-squat with calf raise: Initiate a split squat position by placing one foot flat in front of you, and the other kneeling just below your hips. Elevate the front foot by placing it on top of a firm surface or a yoga block (at least 3 inches). Press through the ground to hover the trailing knee just a few inches from the ground, and hold the position. When you’ve stabilized your balance, perform a calf raise on the front ankle, and hold the heel as elevated as possible for 30 seconds. Repeat on the other side. Difficulty in this drill demonstrates higher likelihood of difficulty transitioning weight though the forefoot.
Single-leg square plyometrics: Mark off a 1-foot box on the floor with tape. Standing on one leg, perform single-leg hops for 30 seconds. Take a video so you can observe your performance. Goal: To stay inside the box for the whole time, minimize the amount that the heel drops to the floor, minimize ground contact time, avoid pain. Repeat on the other side and compare symmetry. Difficulty with this drill may indicate central instability, pain on repeated loading, or lack of body awareness.
Quadruped pelvic drops: Get a yoga block and place it between your knees on the floor (lowest height). Elevate both knees, placing one knee onto the block. Keeping the rest of your body squared up, attempt to lower the opposite knee to touch the floor. It’s not easy to do this without shifting side-to-side or dipping the rest of the body to the floor. Repeat on the other side. Difficulty with this drill may expose a difficulty rotating through one side of your body in your running stride.
90-90 transitions (hands-free): Sit on the floor with one leg in front of you at a 90 degree angle (toes pointing forward), and the other leg to the side at a 90 degree angle (internally rotated, toes pointing to your side). Imagining the front leg stays glued to the floor as long as possible, transition to the same posture on the opposite side. Try not to use your hands for support, and observe any breakdown in posture. Repeat in the other direction and compare for symmetry. Difficulty with this drill is an overall indicator of limited hip mobility and control. Athletes with this predisposition are more likely to over-stress the ankles in their running.
New to running? Check out our TOTAL 10K Program. We’ve taken a unique approach to using distance, effort level, mobility and strength training to get you ready for your race.
Issues with your mobility drills? Check out our 90-day mobility program, or reach out to schedule a tele-health session with a Doctor of Physical Therapy at MOTIVNY.