Achilles Tendonitis

[dyna-ti]

I've been meaning to start on this subject but never got around to it.But mine is pretty bad now so i think it important that i bring it up.

Bitd i got into riding SPD but had them on all my bikes and didnt go anywhere unless i was clipped in.The shoes i was wearing were from Cannondale [normal trainer style]replaced after a few years with Shimano shoes[boot style].
Everything was fine during the 6 or so years i wore them,then i had a really bad spill where the bike came along :x
I got put off riding and didnt for about 3 years.

what started to happen was after a long walk or if i was standing at a work bench all day.I'd sit down for 1/2h but when i stood up i got pain in both tendons right down where it attaches to the bone, the first 1/2 dozen steps felt like they were stretching and the pain lessening.

This has gone on for a couple of years now but it is only after i started cycling again that it has come back and is worse than before.
Now not only is the heel very painful but it seems to have moved right up to where the tendon attaches to the muscle of my calf.
It also starts after walking about 100yrds.

I attribute this to the SPD shoes,without a doubt :? and from research on google appears to be caused by the heel in the shoe not being supportive enough.Though i believe the position of the cleat is critical too.
The doc has me on 2000mgrm of ibuprofen a week, with orders not to walk as much and stay off the bike totally
For how long he cant say

Moral of this story i suppose is to be aware of the damage ill fitting spud shoes can cause and make sure they fit properly.


Anyone and experience in this?

 

[tintin40]

:shock: 2000mgrm :shock: get well soon X fingers

 

[dyna-ti]

:shock: 2000mgrm :shock: get well soon X fingers

Just reread the label
400mgms ,3 times a day=1200mgrm/day

 

[velomaniac]

Right thats me decided once and for all, stay away from SPD's and their ilk.

Never got on with them, keep thinking I must try again but I found they hurt my knees even with Spesh body geometry shoes. Thus the horror story of this post hast decided me, I'll stick to aggressive flatties and gnarly souled shoes

 

[KeepItSteel]

Dont let it put you off SPD's ! if anything you just need to work out how to set them up properly. Have you tred another pedal with more float? Ive been using Crank Bros EggBeaters for 5 or 6 years and swear by them. Very simple to set up, lots of free movement.

I suffered with the same injury from summer 2009 to around march/april this year.
Mine flared up from rugby training on hard soil, I had exactly the same symptoms as you.
TBH the only thing that worked for me was total rest. but I did find that after a few months cycling started to help stretch the heels out gently.
For the last 5/6 months ive been pain free and ive ridden my bikes more this year than in the last 5 or 6.
The only thing ive cut down on is running on hard surfaces!

Oh, and I only ride with SPD's.

 

[mikee]

i kinda stopped using spd's a couple of years ago ,not a conscious
decision just a, i'll run flatties today sort of thing that spread

i used to get a lot of pain in my right knee ,something i put down to
the onset of arthritis ,as mentioned by a doctor about 10 years ago,
this was attributed to riding motorbikes all year round ,the right leg
gets the worst of the weather due to traffic , feasible i thought
however since using flat pedals 90% of the time the pain has eased
somewhat ,actually to the point that it's no longer a problem unless
i'm crawling about on the floor (DIY & playing with grand children)
but then my backs more painfull :roll:

 

[tintin40]

only ever used spd's since 92 but i think some riders they have ill affects on

Shame as they make cycling so efficient on the flat and most certainly up hill.
getting off topic.

hope dyna-ti at least get back on a bike with or with out spd's. Not being able to ride would be a nightmare.
Had knee problem BITD wore a thermal knee support pain went. But i was lucky

 

[cchris2lou]

I only ride with SPD .

best way to set them up is to seat on a table with feet not touching the ground . your legs will go in their natural position .

 

[dyna-ti]

I only ride with SPD .

best way to set them up is to seat on a table with feet not touching the ground . your legs will go in their natural position .

I did this,followed all the rules and still a problem :? ,must be down to the heel cup.For some current cycling with the McRetro in Pollok park i was using wiggle brand dhb which were more like road shoes in their stiffness and fitted well.But still the same pain after i'd stopped for a bit.
Flat pedals only for one thing :?

My prob' started after i'd stopped riding SPD Chris,might be an idea to try flat for a bit and see if you experience any pain in the heels or anywhere in the associated area :?
Something id ask everybody to check
Do your shoes slip any at the heel?? if so might be time for a new pair

 

[Student Bob]

Personally, I wouldn't be in a rush to blame my SPDs. Biomechanically, it's unlikely that they've caused your achilles tendonitis. If your cleats had been that badly aligned, you'd have had some significant knee pain along with the maltracking achilles tendon.

IMHO, it's more likely that you damaged the tendon when you crashed, and it's never healed properly. Other contributing factors could be shoes that rub your achilles tendon. I'm guessing that, right now, your tendon feels swollen. It isn't red, or warm or anything, and it's probably VERY tender to the touch??

What you have my friend, is probably achilles tendinosis. Not to be confused with the short term tendonitis. Tendinosis means that since your achilles healed after the original incident, the new tissue in the tendon has calcified. It's like having teeny tiny fragments of bone knitted into the tendon. As a result, your tendon isn't as immediately stretchy as it used to be, not until the tissue warms up - that's why it eases after a few minutes or whatever.

Diagnosis usually requires either an xray or better yet, an MRI scan. The cheap and cheerful option is to go see a physio and get them to ultrasound the tendon - if it goes tingly and a little uncomfortable within 24hrs then it's more than likely going to be tendinosis.

In terms of treatment, there's not a whole lot of choice.... up until recently, it only used to be arthroscopic debridement - keyhole surgery where they scrape the tendon clean of all the little calcified deposits. It's day surgery, and you walk out afterwards. However... there's some shiny new technology called extracorporeal shock wave therapy - ESWT - where they bounce shock waves into the tendon to break up the deposits - like they do with kidney stones. Alternatively, a good physio should also be able to offer laser therapy, which has a small base of evidence supporting its use in tendinosis.

Hope that helps!! I'd be quite interested to read the research about poor heel support contributing to achilles tendonitis if you've got a linky?