Dumb heel and/or ankle!

[Wahine]

Sundial, where exactly is the knot? Is it close to where the achilles attaches to the heel or is it higher up, more like where the achilles starts if you were referencing the portion closest to the knee as your starting point? Or someplace in between? Is in more in the muscle above the achilles?

And do you have any numbness/tingling in the lower leg or foot?

And yeah, what Knott said about the wedging.

[sundial]

Hi Wahine, my knot seems to be at the same altitude (??) as the ankle bone.
When I run my fingers down both sides of the achilles, it's tender. It is more tender on the lateral side of the tendon and only rears it's head when I ride my road bike or wear a certain pair of Adidas shoes. Then I get a knot which feels like the size of a macadamia nut. I do not get pain in the ball or arch of the foot and I don't experience tingling. My knot goes away after a day or two. When I got home from cycling yesterday and really stretched the tendon, it felt like twisted rubber bands creaking together. Does that make sense? No pain, just that weird friction sensation.

I just bought Blue Spot heel cups to try and the doc wants me to wear them on the affected foot. I feel like I'm wearing a stacked shoe, lol.

I'll get on the bike in a day or so and give it a whirl again. Maybe, just maybe, the heel cup will help.

Thanks for asking and hopefully we can figure out a solution together.

[Wahine]

It does sound like localized achilles inflammation. Which brings us back to the search for the cause. Could be alignment (see Knott's post above), I would suggest going for a deep tissue massage to make sure there aren't any nasty trigger points in your calf that need to be worked out.

You might want to try these:

http://www.networkfitness.com/Networ...20Products.htm

If you're thinking about it I'd go with the starter set.

Is there any possibility of direct pressure on that part of the tendon causing swelling? If that's the case, it needs to be relieved.

Keep posting and let us know haw you're doing.

[sundial]

I have a wonderful medical massage therapist I go to. This will give me a great excuse to go see her. I wore the heel cup today but only on the right foot. Am I suppose to wear it in both shoes? The doc didn't specify in his special instructions.

Can one see a PT without a Rx?

[Wahine]

I have a wonderful medical massage therapist I go to. This will give me a great excuse to go see her. I wore the heel cup today but only on the right foot. Am I suppose to wear it in both shoes? The doc didn't specify in his special instructions.

Can one see a PT without a Rx?

Put the heel cups in both shoes. You don't want to mess with your blance in your pelvis or someplace else by walking around lopsided.

As for the Rx that varies from state to state and from one ins. co to the next. Call your insurance and ask, then call a PT office and check with them.

[sundial]

Ok, saw the ortho doc today and he said I have...........tendonosis. The tech x-rayed my ankle and there was no calcification. He said I have scar tissue that has been there for some time. He prescribed a air heel thing to wear and to try a different set of heel cups since my Blue Dot ones didn't help on my last mtb ride. We went over the stretching exercises and he wants me to try a compound that is to be applied twice a day on the site. As for orthotics, he wasn't interested in going that route and wants me to meet with my favorite bike shop guy to get fitted with a Sole (a shoe insole that is heated, placed in the shoe and worn during cycling while it cools to fit the foot). If I continue to have problems, he'll prescribe ultrasound therapy.

I hope I can get relief through the heel cup and such and not be sidelined for the upcoming cycling season. I'm just now getting into the groove of things.

[KnottedYet]

Can I make just one observation from my experience with folks who have used the heat-molded insoles?

You take an unhappy foot, and you make a mold of it. Then every time you take a step (or pedal stroke) on that foot you force it back into that unhappy position. Reinforcing the mechanical problem over and over again.

The heat moldable insoles are great for folks who don't have mechanical problems, I'm not against them for healthy feet.