Daily Mobility Exercises by Dr. Kelly Starrett › Forums › Foot/Ankle › Achilles/Ankle soreness and ROM

Viewing 5 reply threads
  • Author
    Posts
    • 04/20/2017 at 6:05 pm #71774
      AvatarDanielle Watson
      Participant

      Today I went out for a 3 Mile run, somewhere between a 7 – 8 min pace, and near the end of it I started having some discomfort on the inside area of my Achilles. This happens whenever I run beyond 1-2 miles. To start, my ankle ROM is not great. Its something I make an extra effort to pay attention to at least a couple times a week.

      This issue started a bit less than 3 years ago when I had a small knee surgery to remove junky cartilage from a meniscus tear in the L knee. Prior to the surgery I would average 6:30 p/m for 4-5 miles. I took a while off from running at that point and ever since going back I’ve experienced what feels like inflamed Achilles after a run. I’ve seen a PT in my area (Washington DC) for this issue. After taking a video of my running she told me to increase my steps per min to 160-180 range and to use Voltaren gel on the area. Have low arches she also told me to us a more supportive shoe insert. Needless to say the issue persists.

      I’ve watched a lot of the MWod videos, watched the videos with Brian McKenzie, and I’ve started doing more of the foot strengthening exercises. Are there any suggestions on:

      A – Continue wearing the sneaker inserts when running? After watching a lot of the kStar videos I’ve transition to a more minimal shoe (mizuno for running, nobull/metcons for daily wods)
      B – Other mobility episodes to check out?
      C – PT’s in the DC area?
      D – Open to any other suggestions.
       

    • 04/24/2017 at 3:24 am #76896
      AvatarPatrick Thomas
      Participant

      Have you had anyone take a look at your running technique recently?
      You may need to rebuild your running technique following the knee surgery.
      Yes, the PT gave you a recommendation, but do you have a plan to achieve that?
      Is the increase in cadence just to average a 6:30 mile?
      You will need to progress to that cadence.

      Limited ankle range of motion is a definite impacting factor.
      A couple episodes to start taking a look at:
      Episode 258: Ankle Mobility-Self Mulligan Technique
      Episode 285: Sliding Surfaces; Ankle Range of Motion Case Study Part 1
      Episode 285: Sliding Surfaces; Ankle Range of Motion Case Study Part 2

      There are several more episodes and Daily MIWod which address ankle rom.
      Pro Episode # 57 – Managing Achilles “Tendonitis”

      Pro Episode #3 – The Flat Feet Solution

      A. Depending on what shoe you were wearing before you may need to scale to a lower profile shoes in stages. Building the strength in your foot is important and required when transitioning to wearing a lower profile shoe.
      How are things going with the lower profile shoe?

      B. Roop & Jami have a 5 part series within the Episodes tab on the foot and ankle
          There are many episodes and Daily MIWod which address ankle and up/downstream of the ankle, and
          episodes which are running specific.
          Ankle and Foot Webinar: Where the Rubber Hits the Road
      C. From the MIWOD List practioner search there are 4 practitioners within 20 miles of DC you can do a
          search for 5, 10, 15, 20 miles of your location.
      D. Limited ankle range of motion can impact how/where on your foot you strike the ground. This impacts
           everything up/down stream.

    • 04/27/2017 at 1:01 am #76899
      AvatarDanielle Watson
      Participant

      Kaitlin, 

      Thank you so much for the reply!
      Unfortunately while warming up before a workout last Friday, I might have torn a meniscus in the R knee while doing air squats…currently waiting on the MRI results. If that is the case, and there is another recovery period in store I will make sure to factor in these recommendations during the recovery process. 
      Thank you for helping point out the right places to look for the ankle range of motion videos. 
    • 05/02/2017 at 2:35 am #76905
      AvatarPatrick Thomas
      Participant

      Hey Tom
      Checking in to see what you found out from the MRI.
      May be a bit of a shift with the knee injury.

      Mobility will be a focus (workout) throughout your recovery.
      Use the time that you have and you will see the impact as you are able to add things back in.
      A few years ago following an accident mobility became my focus throughout a long recovery.
      The 14-Day Mobility Challenge | 7 Green Lights (doing what you are able on lower body) is a great place to start.
      Questions on anything feel free to message me.

    • 05/09/2017 at 6:19 pm #76909
      AvatarDanielle Watson
      Participant

      Hi Kaitlin, 

      I ended up tearing the lateral meniscus. I went to two separate orthopedist and they both recommended getting the torn piece removed.  The tear was in the “white zone” and both doctors said that it would not heal well and most likely tear again if I opted to have it repaired rather than removed. I was able to get in for surgery quickly and the doctor ended up removing 20% of the lateral meniscus. Both the ortho and the PT I started with last Friday have given me a 6 week estimate for the time that I won’t be able to do any lower body work or return to running. 
      For the time being I plan on working on what I can mobility wise, and I’ll pretty much limit any workouts to upper body only. 
      I’ll check out the 14-day challenge to see where I might be able to pinpoint some weaker/immobile areas. 
      Thank you for following up!
    • 05/14/2017 at 12:20 am #76912
      AvatarPatrick Thomas
      Participant

      Tom–
      Sounds like you are in good hands.
      Great that you were able to get in for surgery quickly.

      Focus on what you are able to do.
      Upper body work, breathing work will benefit your performance as you are cleared to do more and start building in skill & drill work. Use this time to revisit technique and build a solid foundation to build from.
      Have you had any exposure to visualization work?
      Can be a powerful mental skill to develop.

  • Author
    Posts
Viewing 5 reply threads
  • You must be logged in to reply to this topic.