Achilles tendinitis brace/sleeves for hiking

[huntin24/7]

Has anyone ever had to deal with his for hunting/hiking? I’ve been dealing with a lingering sore Achilles for quite some time. It’s kind of tender when I rub it, but it usually doesn’t bother me much hiking or running most of the time. Going on a big hunt soon and wondering if anyone has had luck with certain brands or anything else that might help.

 

[Moserkr]

Im in a similar boat and both of mine have hurt for years now. Only thing Ive seen recommended (besides drugs) is targeted rehab training like calf raises and stretching. Nothing that will help short term. Hoping someone who has fixed it will chime in.

 

[MNElkNut]

I have dealt with it for years and it is now gone. One of the things that helped me was my chiropractor adjusting my hips. they get out of whack and it has a trickle down effect.

Other than that, rub them often to get blood flowing down there and stretching. Lots of stretching. Hold that stretch for 90 seconds or more.

 

[Moserkr]

The chiropractor comment from @MNElkNut did bring back a memory for dealing with the achilles and my torn toe ligaments. I have high arches and was not getting full support across my whole foot under heavy pack loads over long distances of backcountry hunting. So it was recommended I get custom orthotics which really helped overall. Just another thought that may help.

 

[Bambistew]

Bummer. My wife is battling this now and it turned into tendinosis and prognosis isn't great until final tear then surgery. The doc told her the longer she waited before addressing tendonitis was the reason it got worse. She toughs it out and has been going to PT but really not a lot to do to fix it in her case. Hope yours gets better. I have 2 friends that ruptured their achelles recently.

 

[Coop]

PT here. Be proactive starting yesterday. Start doing isometric holds with your heel hanging off a step, no lower than foot level. 45-60s hold. If that feels fine, start adding eccentric heel drops in (heels raise by putting all of your weight in the opposite leg, then full weight-bearing through the painful side as you slowly lower off a step, down below foot level). Something that can also help a lot is dry needling. Find a PT who is certified nearby.

Here are a couple videos that I use for my patients to explain it. Hope this helps and best of luck on the hunt!

 

[huntin24/7]

PT here. Be proactive starting yesterday. Start doing isometric holds with your heel hanging off a step, no lower than foot level. 45-60s hold. If that feels fine, start adding eccentric heel drops in (heels raise by putting all of your weight in the opposite leg, then full weight-bearing through the painful side as you slowly lower off a step, down below foot level). Something that can also help a lot is dry needling. Find a PT who is certified nearby.

Here are a couple videos that I use for my patients to explain it. Hope this helps and best of luck on the hunt!

Thanks. I’ll definitely try those things.

 

[lifeisgoodsteve]

I feel for you as I’ve been dealing with it for about 5 years.

Universal pro recommendation is always those exercises Coop showed, as most important, then stretching.

I recommend NOT doing the isometric exercises barefoot as it seems to have strained some tiny muscles in my left arch too much, which now I have to deal with.

On the bright side. I managed the pain by hiking slower and keeping my head up on a swivel better. Have definitely spotted more elk and game thanks to being forced to walk slower.

Try different shoes/boots as they made a significant difference on how much it got aggravated.

Loosened boots on easy trail reducing pressure on the Achilles then tightened when heading off trail steep.

Spring and Summer I started weight bearing more gradually, rather than jump to a 40lb pack.

Again, slow was my friend and maybe even helped me spot game.

Good luck !!

 

[FamilyMan]

For anyone in this boat I strongly recommend visiting and foot specialist. I suffered with Achilles pain for years, even walking around the house or office was painful. Finally I visited a specialist who x-rayed my ankle and determined I didn't have tendinitis at all. It was Achilles Tendinosis. Achilles Tendinosis is a condition where a bone growth (essentially a bone spur) at the very back of your foot is growing directly into your Achilles so that is irritates the Achilles with every step. PT doesn't help - only makes it worse. The only way to avoid the pain it is to do nothing. The solution? Surgery! They have to remove the bone growth that is causing all the trouble. Unfortunately, the bone is only accessible by slicing your Achilles in half, top to bottom, they prying it apart to access the bone. I know what you are thinking - sounds terrifyingly awful! I agreed and continued to just deal with the constant pain for three more years. Then I realized that if I was every going to be able to participate in all the cool hunts and family adventures I dreamed about I would have to get this fixed. A couple of hours under the gas and a week of bed rest, followed by two to three months of slowly going from a scooter to crutches to a walking boot, and ABSOLUTELY NO MORE PAIN no matter how much I work the Achilles. I recommend it highly. Did my surgery the first week of February and was fully functional by July.