Help with painful achilles tendons

[Peter Curley]

Anyone have any suggestions?

I've been struggling with achilles tendon pain since PBP 2019. It usually only rears its head on rides of 400k or more. The longer the ride the more extreme the pain becomes. My achilles normally recover within a day or two after the ride is completed. 

Thanks,

Peter

[Lisa Olmsted]

Hi Peter,

I'm a doctor, albeit a psychiatrist, and can offer some very general thoughts. These injuries are typically the result of overuse. Medications are usually anti-inflammatory and will bring temporary relief (nsaids, steroids, etc). Ice can also be helpful. The long-term solution involves strengthening supporting muscles and connective tissue, which can be accomplished be seeking the input of a physical therapist and completing their prescribed exercises. They are really the experts in these kinds of injuries. I have met a physical therapist who was also a cyclist, and they had unique insights about bike fit and pedal placement, etc. If that is an option, it may be helpful. 

Sincerely,

Lisa

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[Eric Larsen]

Same pedals? Try loosening clips or change to a different type.

E

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[Robert Sexton]

I've had the same problem.

Move your cleats closer to the heel of the shoe.

- Robert

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Robert Sexton

[milosz]

lowering my saddle did it for me. i think i ended up having to lower at least an inch, maybe 1.5" before the injury stopped recurring.

milosz

[JinUk Shin]

I started using midfoot cleat positioning this year with a lot of success.  No longer any real feet/lower leg issues with the new positioning.  The natural result of going midfoot is also lowering your saddle.

Definitely recommend trying a set of these if you can - Mid-Foot Cycling (mid-foot-cycling.com)

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[Peter Curley]

Thanks Lisa, Rob, Eric, Robert, Milosz, JinUk for the advice. Much appreciated. 

Peter 

On Fri, May 12, 2023 at 10:55 AM Peter Curley <peter...@gmail.com> wrote:

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Peter Curley
415-513-8950

[Noah Swartz]

I had extreme achilles tendonitis when I did AIDS/LifeCycle last year. After some attempts to massage or stretch away the pain, the thing that helped for me was the same as what milosz mentioned - dropping the seat.

Your achilles tendons get activated the more your ankles are flexing, and the higher your seat is the more your ankles need to compensate and flex to allow you to have extended reach to do a full pedal stroke. 

So the first thing I would do is try to assess how much you are currently flexing your ankles on a pedal stroke. As I understand it, ideally it should be close to not at all - that is your foot stays close to 90 degrees from your shin at the bottom of the stroke. If you are rotating your foot downwards to cover the bottom of the stroke, then that's a good sign to drop the seat. 

I will say that a change in seat height will bring with it other adjustments. You may notice other muscles in your quads being activated, or different feelings of fit based on the height of your handlebars - so expect some amount of time to get used to the adjustment.

Hope this is helpful, and not entirely repetitive of things you already know!

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[Greg Merritt]

Hi Peter,

When I was still using cleats, I too experienced amelioration described by others in this thread by moving that cleat as far back as possible on the shoe.

I've also learned that for me, muscle flexibility / tautness is all connected along "the back of me" from top to bottom. E.g., tight hamstrings seem to stress the calves and achilles tendons, and those same tight hamstrings can stress the lower back, upper back, and neck and head. This does not mean that I only stretch my hamstrings; I do stretch daily end-to-end / top-to-bottom (truly toes to neck/head!).

Years ago I originally assumed that stretching my calves would be "the solution" to my achilles pain, but when the achilles tendons were already sore, this would just stress them more; when they were not already sore, simply stretching the calves alone did not do as well as also stretching hamstrings (and back etc.).

YMMV, but good luck!

-Greg

[JinUk Shin]

Exactly as what Greg, Noah, and others have said.  The nice thing about pushing the cleats into midfoot is it naturally forces you to lower your saddle to accommodate the new position.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3q3ASys6dOE

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[Juliayn Coleman]

I have had this problem in the past year too, so thanks for what others have said. I didn't realize this was such a widespread phenomena!

I think what caused it for me was a sharp increase in riding, without warming up adequately beforehand. So, making sure I'm doing my stretches regularly has helped a lot. Stretching my feet, including flexing the toes and sitting back on them while flexed, has helped immensely. So has using a foam roller on the front and back of my lower legs.

Whether you ride with cleats or not,  remember to avoid pointing your toes while riding. Try to remember to keep your feet flat. This is why correct saddle height is so important.

Hope this helps and good luck!

[Stacy Kline]

When I started randonneuring in 2011, I was having some knee and hamstring pain. My husband Greg (Kline) recommended moving the cleat as far back as far as it would go, like Robert Sexton suggested. It's also what Lon Haldeman recommends!

It eliminated the knee pain and relieved tension on my hamstring and achilles! 🙌

Good luck!

Stacy

Stacy Kline, MA, NBCT

League of American Bicyclists Certified Instructor

American Bicycling Education Association Certified Instructor

gregandstacyride.com

youtube.com/@GregandStacyRide

Stacy Kline on Strava

Greg Kline on Strava

"Life is either a daring adventure or nothing." ~ Helen Keller

[Bruce Fritz]

Peter,

Very sorry you are experiencing knee problems.  

I'll add my two cents: after PBP 2019 which ended painfully I got a bike fit and recommendations from Dr. Jess in El Cerrito:

https://innersport.com/

The best investment I ever made.  We all get used to how we set up our bikes, but that doesn't mean we can't do better to prevent injury.  I am still implementing  Dr. Jess' recommendations and improving in the process.

I wish you the best!

Bruce Fritz

On Tue, May 16, 2023 at 8:49 AM Greg Merritt <greg.m...@gmail.com> wrote:

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