• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • New? Start Here!

RunToTheFinish

Online Running Coach for All Paces, All Ages

  • Training
    • Beginner Half Marathon Training
    • Sub Two Half Marathon Training
    • Marathon Training
    • New Runner Tips
    • Low Heart Rate Training
    • Group Run Coaching
    • Nutrition for Runners
  • Running Injuries
  • Gear Reviews
  • Work Together
    • Virtual Run Club
    • 1-1 Coaching
    • Brand Partnerships
  • Courses
    • Book
    • IT Band Solution
    • LHR Training Plans
  • Blog

Achilles Pain While Running? Here’s How to Treat, Prevent and Heal for Good

2609shares
achilles pain running

Experiencing Achilles pain while running goes right along side IT Band pain and knee pain in terms of common issues from “too much, too fast and too soon”—the cardinal sins of any runner.

Fortunately, just like the other two injuries it can be resolved with a little bit of knowledge and a few changes to your routine (and possibly gear!).

What Causes Achilles Pain While Running (Tendonitis)?

Runners are prone to Achilles tendon injuries because of the constant pushing off we do with each stride. The more and faster we run, the more susceptible we are to injury. Speed and uphill training can aggravate the Achilles thanks to the additional strain placed on the tendon.

When the Achilles is overworked, the tendon tightens and causes inflammation, voila la Achilles tendinitis.

Signs of Achilles tendonitis include:

  • A stiffness which goes away as you warm up
  • Pain and swelling close to the heel
  • Limited ankle flexibility
  • Redness along the tendon
  • A burning sensation along the tendon
  • Scar tissue build up (this will feel like lumps)
  • A cracking or popping sound with ankle movement

With rest and proper care (which I get into below) most runners can usually recover from Achilles tendinitis fairly quickly. Left untreated, however, it will lead to more severe injuries, such as tearing or rupturing.achilles running painIf you hear a pop followed by intense pain in the back of the ankle and lower leg then you’ve pushed this inflammation too far and now have a major injury to recover from, a torn Achilles.

You likely won’t be able to walk normally after this occurs. Often, Achilles tendon ruptures require surgery, but this is not always the case. None the less, we’re not going in to that here because you’re going to be a SMART runner and stop pushing through pain.

Can You Keep Running with Achilles Pain?

Errr maybe, but should you…well let’s consider what’s happening here.

Every time we push off the ground during a run, the force can amount to 500-600 pounds of pressure. The Achilles tendon takes the brunt of that force, meaning like our knees or IT Band, tightness, poor form and overuse are going to quickly take their toll.

  • The Achilles tendon is the largest tendon in our body and comprised of a thick band of tissue that connects the calf muscles to the heel bone.
  • This tendon is responsible for every step we take, whether walking or running.
  • It also permits us to point our toes, push off our feet, jump up and down, and stand on our tip toes.

Basically anything we do with movement can be credited to the Achilles tendon.

No wonder it can get so cranky so easily. A sore Achilles in the morning is often the first sign that you need to hold up and pay attention before it becomes something more.

If you’re already experiencing Achilles pain, then stop running until you can complete the toe raise exercise listed in step 3 without pain.

Returning to Running After Achilles Injury

Whether you want to prevent an Achilles injury or are trying to comeback to running after tendonitis, these are the tips that will get you there.

Following is a three step plan to help prevent Achilles tendon pain from running, meaning you won’t resolve it once only to have it reappear on you again later.

Step 1: Reduce Swelling and Inflammation

If you’re in the midst of a major flare, then DO NOT run. You need to first allow the swelling to subside and help your body to cull the inflammation. As recently reported, do not ice the area, unless you’re in pain and need some numbness!

Try these tips for reducing inflammation, which I used after knee surgery and I remain a big fan of compression socks. If the medical community loves them for healing, why wouldn’t we take advantage too!

And like those other common injuries I mentioned, once you’ve reduced swelling get moving and start with step 2 and 3. Continued rest won’t resolve the issue. achilles injuriesGraphic from Road Runner Sports

Step 2: Implement Smart Training

First up is to stop the things which got you in to a mess.

Jumping mileage too quickly, adding in too much speed work or skipping out on rest days which is when our body truly rebuilds from the hard work. After that, make sure you’re doing these things as well:

  • No barefoot time for you. You want to keep everything supported while you fully recover.
  • Warm up. Exercising on tight, cold, or fatigued calf muscles transfer too much of the load onto the Achilles. A quick dynamic warm up will get that muscle ready to run with less risk of injury.
  • Cross train with lower impact activities while returning to running.
  • Vary running surfaces. Hard surfaces can aggravate it more, so consider more trails – but do not run on the treadmill as one study showed this actually required a 12% higher load on the Achilles.
  • Regular foam rolling will help keep your muscles flexible and supple, which means less pulling on tendons!
  • Rotate your running shoes to help eliminate muscle imbalances which can affect your stride and cause pain.

While we’re on the topic of shoes, there are some things to consider if you’re running in to Achilles issues. In general, I’m a fan of the lower heel drop for most runners, but the best running shoes for Achilles pain are actually those with a slightly higher heel drop because it reduces stress.running shoes for achilles

Running Shoes to Help Achilles Pain

Additionally, you may benefit from a stability shoe if your foot is falling inward as that will further stress the Achilles.

  • 10-12mm heel drop
  • Or try adding a heel lift to your existing shoes if you love the fit
  • Stability shoe
  • Cushioned heel collar
  • Brooks Ravena and Asics Gel Nimbus are often recommended

Once you’ve resolved your issue and are completing all the things below, I recommend moving to a lower heel drop as you can. There’s enough research to show it’s key to good running form, preventing heel striking and other injuries.

Step 3: Achilles Stretch and Strengthening Exercises

Now that you’ve culled the initial pain, it’s time to keep working on your Achilles. We want to keep this injury from recurring with my favorite thing PRE-HAB…though if you’re currently injured this is re-hab, but keep doing it long after the pain goes away!

Achilles Stretches

To stretch or not to stretch? While some experts recommend stretching to help heal an Achilles injury, other sources suggest that the pull on the muscles can worsen the injury. This for me is a two pronged issue:

  1. See what feels good to you. If stretching hurts, STOP.
  2. Remember that often what we need to do is loosen the muscles AROUND the tight one.

Use a foam roller to loosen those calf muscles and a massage ball to loosen the plantar fascia in your feet. Notice we aren’t rolling right on the injury, but instead working the muscles around it to ensure that nothing else is pulling on it.

Eccentric Strength Training

This is a form of exercise that lengthens certain muscles under weight load.

Heel Drops
Stand on a step with your heels hanging off and switch the weight to one leg. Slowly lower your body and then use your other leg to help you return to the starting position. The help is especially important on the injured side. Do three sets of 15 on each leg twice daily, incorporating both the straight leg and bent knee versions.

Heel Raises
Creating a stronger calf is going to help as well, so once the drops cause no pain it’s time to start with raises.

Standing flat footed raise up on to the ball of your feet and hold for a few seconds before lowering back down. As always three sets of 15 reps is a good baseline.

Alphabet
Drawing the alphabet with your foot is another great way to increase total ankle strength and flexibility, which is going to help prevent injury.

Skaters
Once you’ve eliminated pain while doing the heel drops and calf raises, you can start to up the ante a bit. Try doing skaters to help improve your total foot, ankle and leg strength. These can be a great warm up or addition to your strength day.

Taping an Achilles Injury

K Tape, or Kinesiology Tape can be kinda magical for injuries, including Achilles tendinitis (I mean it’s the only thing that allowed me to run after my knee injury!). The tendon notoriously has poor blood flow, which is one reason it is so susceptible to overuse and stress injuries. Kinesio Tape lifts the skin away from the muscle, stimulating circulation and helping alleviate pain.

There are a few different ways you can tape for Achilles pain.KT Tape AchillesAresports provides a few examples of how to tape!

Example 1:
Sit in a chair and cross the injured leg over the other, resting it just above the heel. With your heel flexed, anchor the tape starting in the bottom center of your foot and stretch the tape over the back of the heel, stopping about a ⅓ of the way up your calf. Rub the tape to create a strong bond.

Fold a second strip in half and round the corners and cut it at the fold so you have two pieces. Take the first piece and tape it around the point of pain. If you have pain higher up in the calf, apply the second strip at that point in the same manner.

How Does the Achilles Tendon Get its Name?

As the Greek mythology goes, Achilles’ mother, Thetis wanted to make her son immortal, so she dipped him in the River Styx. However, the strong current meant that she held onto him by his heels, so his feet never touched the water. Thus his feet remained the one weak part of his body.

Achilles grew to be a strong warrior, defeating the leaders of nearby kingdoms. Paris, the brother of a man killed by Achilles set out for revenge, directing a poisoned arrow right into his heel, killing Achilles shortly after.

The first recorded connection with Achilles to the tendon occurred in 1693 by Dutch anatomist Philip Verheyen.

Have you ever experienced Achilles tendinitis?

What tips do you have to keep the pain away for good?

Other ways to connect with Amanda
Instagram Daily Fun: RunToTheFinish

Facebook Community Chatter: RunToTheFinishRunning_motivation_thumb

Sign Up to Receive a Weekly Newsletter with Top Running Tips

2609shares

Posted by amanda Categories: injury

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Joanne says

    August 29, 2019 at 12:54 pm

    Glad to see something on achilles injuries. I have suffered from achilles tendonosis in both feet since about 2005. I actually had not yet started running but I was a highland dancer for years and think the damage built up slowly. What I found was no movement made movement harder so I believed I needed to just push through it. I saw a sports medicine specialist in 2007 and he gave me some stretches and told me that surgery would likely help but that no one would want to operate on my achilles. I did the stretches for a while and then on and off but really just accepted that it would always be this way. Funny that this came up today because all afternoon my left tendon was throbbing in pain, reminding me that I really need to do something about it. Thank for the research!

  2. Alexis says

    August 29, 2019 at 6:20 pm

    Thank you! I’ve been dealing with this for a couple of months as I train for a marathon. I’ve found that the heel drop exercise definitely helps. Another exercise I like to do at night and in the morning, while lying in bed, is to take a yoga strap or towel and put it around the ball of my foot. I gently pull the strap (and my toes/foot) towards me, slightly stretching my Achilles. Hold for a few seconds and repeat on the the other side, if you’re lucky like me and have stiffness on both sides :) When I do this consistently, I can actually walk down stairs without having to go sideways! #yikes

    • amanda says

      September 1, 2019 at 7:05 am

      oh thanks for sharing that move!! will definitely help others!

  3. Roslia Santamaria says

    September 5, 2019 at 1:48 am

    I have been reading your posts for I think years now. I feel like we are old friends that just live far apart. Thanks for the article, health and wellness are most important things in life. :-) Keep spreading a word of awareness.

Primary Sidebar

Filter by Category
  • Select a Category
  • 10 miler
  • 10K
  • 13.1 marathon series
  • 15K
  • 30 Day Challenge
  • 5k
  • About ME
  • Abs
  • Active Travel
  • alaska
  • Amanda Brooks
  • Arizona
  • Asics
  • Austin
  • Baltimore
  • barefoot running
  • beauty
  • Biking
  • birthday
  • bloggers
  • blogging tips
  • body fat
  • body image
  • body weight exercises
  • book reviews
  • Boston Marathon
  • breakfast
  • California
  • Camping
  • Canada
  • Caribbean
  • chicago
  • ChiRunning
  • Clean Eating
  • cold weather training
  • colorado
  • compression
  • Costa Rica
  • Crockpot
  • cross training
  • CrossFit
  • dairy free
  • dessert
  • egg free
  • electrolytes
  • emotional health
  • Europe
  • family
  • Fit Together
  • fitness gear
  • Fitness Tracker
  • fitness vacation
  • florida
  • foam roller
  • food sensitivity
  • Fort Lauderdale
  • France
  • Funny Running
  • Gift Guide
  • Gluten Free
  • GPS Watch
  • Green Smoothie
  • Guides and Tips
  • habits
  • Half Marathon
  • Hawaii
  • HBBC
  • health coach
  • healthy eating
  • Healthy Home
  • Healthy lifestyle
  • Heart Rate Training
  • HIIT workout
  • hiking
  • hiking
  • Hip Strength
  • Hoka One One
  • Holistic Health
  • Hormones
  • hydration
  • Iceland
  • injury
  • inspiration
  • instagram
  • Ireland
  • IT Band
  • IT Band Recovery
  • Jerusalem
  • key west
  • knee injury
  • Kona
  • Love
  • low heart rate training
  • Maffetone
  • main dish
  • Marathon
  • marathon training
  • marriage
  • meal planning
  • Meditation
  • Memphis
  • mental marathon training
  • Mexico
  • Miami
  • Motivation
  • New York City
  • New York City Marathon
  • New York City Marathon Training
  • NYC marathon
  • Oregon
  • Orlando
  • Palm Beach
  • Philadelphia Marathon
  • physical therapy
  • podcasts
  • Prague
  • Product Review
  • Race
  • race costume
  • race medal
  • race photo
  • race report
  • Ragnar
  • Recipe
  • recovery
  • recovery meal
  • relaxation
  • relay race
  • resolution run
  • review
  • Rock N Roll
  • run club
  • Runner's World
  • running accessories
  • running books
  • running coach
  • running form
  • running fuel
  • running gear
  • Running Group
  • running motivation
  • running music
  • Running Shoes
  • safety
  • salads
  • san diego
  • Saucony
  • Seattle
  • skin care
  • Soup
  • South Beach
  • South Carolina
  • South Florida
  • speed work
  • sports nutrition
  • Stand Up Paddle Boarding
  • Steamboat Springs
  • Strength Training
  • stretching
  • sugar reduction
  • Thanksgiving
  • trail running
  • Training Group
  • training plan
  • travel
  • travel running
  • treadmill
  • treadmill workout
  • triathlon
  • ultrarunning
  • vegan
  • Vegas
  • vegatarian
  • vegetable
  • virtual run
  • wedding
  • weight loss
  • winter
  • women's running
  • workout
  • workout motivation
  • workout schedule
  • Yoga

5 Secrets to Improve Your RUn

Start Making Quick Progress on Your Goals (I swear it's easy) no matter your current fitness level. The tips I share with the runners I coach.

Recent Posts

  • Couch to Marathon Training Plan and Tips
  • UCAN | How Can SuperStarch Fuel Your Run
  • Running at Night | Tips and Safety
  • Brooks vs Saucony Running Shoes
  • How to Truly Resolve Runners Knee by Fixing Knee Drift

Must Have Gear

Comparing GPS Watches

Best HR Monitor for Running

Best Foam Rollers

Best Running Books

Running Jackets for Every Condition

fitness partners

Please note that affiliate links {such as Amazon} may pop up on RTTF from time to time. They do not cost you anything to use, but are a huge help to support the ongoing content creation process. Click here to do your shopping!

Welcome!!

Hello runners! I’m Amanda Brooks, a certified personal trainer and running coach. I’ve been coaching over a decade and distance running since 2002. My philosophy is that running isn’t about your pace or the distance or your body. It’s about showing up for yourself, loving the process and doing it injury free!

 

online running coach

Footer

Get the Free 5 Day Better Runner Challenge

Start Making Quick Progress on Your Goals (I swear it's easy)

About Amanda Brooks

Amanda Brooks is a Certified Running Coach, Certified Personal Trainer and long time distance runner with a passion for every facet of running, which leads her to do more reading, research and running than necessary. Find all the tips, tricks and tools you need from this running coach for your best injury free running. Read More…

Popular Posts on RunToTheFinish

  • 17 Funniest Running Memes – Which One’s Do You Relate To?
  • Hoka Vs Brooks Running Shoes
  • Piriformis Syndrome Exercises: Alleviating a Pain in the Butt
  • Best Virtual Races and 11 Reasons You Need to Do One
  • Polar Vs Garmin | Comparing GPS Watches

runtothefinish

Amanda Brooks : Run Coach
KEEP GOING. You never know when your moment will c KEEP GOING. You never know when your moment will come. You have to keep showing up when it’s hard when it’s frustrating and even when it doesn’t go as it should. 

⭐️Shalane was a professional athlete by 2004 and didn’t win NYC until 2017.

🏃‍♀️Des Linden took second in the 2011 Boston Marathon. It was 7 YEARS of training before she took first.

👏I have many friends who needed 8+ marathons to get their BQ.

👍Serena Williams has had loses that the press would consider catastrophic and she admits to hating them, but using them to find more strength.

🤔Walt Disney was fired for lack of imagination! But he kept going.

The list is long of those who didn’t succeed on the first attempt. The thing they all have in common is continuing on, adjusting the plan, staying focused on the goal.

SUNDAY RUNDAY MOTIVATION!! Share with a friend and I’d love to hear what keeps you going after a bad race.
ANKLE AND FOOT STRENGTH - A lot of questions latel ANKLE AND FOOT STRENGTH - A lot of questions lately about shin splints and while they’re commonly the result of adding too much distance or speed too soon...
🏃‍♀️you can also work on strength, mobility and running technique.

Let’s start with some strength pieces!

⭐️ Plus, these movements are stellar for anyone with ankle pain or needing more lower body strength to hit the trails.⭐️

👇👇
10-12 reps x 2 a day
1️⃣Banded rotation - hitting the peroneal muscles that run along the outside of your lower leg these control ankle movement and foot strength. Better ankles, better stability, less shin pain.

2️⃣Banded turn outs - helping with muscles that control the arch of your foot and prevents knee, ankle and foot from dropping in if the arch isn’t staying strong with each step.

3️⃣Toe raises - we’re really hitting the front of the shins with this. Make it easier with legs closer to wall.

4️⃣Calf raise with ball - calf strength and arch strength happening with the use of the ball, which can again prevent the foot falling inward. Also strong calves absorb impact and spread lower leg load.

5️⃣Foam roll along outside of shin and calves to release tightness from overworked muscles.
///
Have you ever dealt with shin splints or ankle injuries??
EMBRACING A PAUSE🤢🤢 - It’s been a decade s EMBRACING A PAUSE🤢🤢 - It’s been a decade since I’ve been can’t move from the couch sick. I don’t recommend this stomach bug.
|||
In truth, I’ve been thinking I needed to hit pause for a few weeks.

💼 I’m so excited about what’s happening in my business, I’ve been hard charging for the last year.

🏃‍♀️I’m finally enjoying adding in hills and speed and strength, but could tell I needed a big down week... I just didn’t want to.

🥾On vacation or with fam, I’m always sneaking in work and again that’s not entirely bad because I love it.
|||
BUT LIKE AND INJURY, sickness is a reminder to appreciate our health.

🟧I’m not trying to make up the missed workouts.
🟩I’m not guilt tripping over eating Cinnamon Toast Crunch because it was all that would stay down after 30 hours.
🟦I’m not feeling bad for moving a lot of meetings and not responding to nearly any messages.

What reminds you to step back and press pause??

📸from our great trip a few years ago. Those long vacations are my best way of letting go.

#iamwellandgood #loveyourbody #solopreneurlife
Can we talk about runners and gut health for a sec Can we talk about runners and gut health for a second? And then you'll understand why I love @previnex so much.
//
DID YOU KNOW: There are 500 species and three pounds of bacteria in our gut! 😱😱It’s a living and breathing factory that:

🔵impacts your energy levels and can be reason for joint pain
🟣impacts your mood and focus
🟡can cause runners trots and nausea when micro biome is off
🔴can cause more food sensitivities and intolerances when not balanced with good bacteria
//
So yesssss your gut can make you a better runner when it’s working right and probiotics are a big helper.
//
PRIZES: WINNERS CONTACTED
Each winner gets a 2 month supply of probiotics and fish oil, the two things I use DAILY and that you’ve emailed me saying “OMG this helped!!”
+
A copy of Run To The Finish on audiobook.
.
Your chance to try a SUPER HIGH QUALITY option and see the impacts. It’s beyond superior to what’s in most stores.
//
HOW TO ENTER:
1️⃣Like and save this photo
2️⃣Follow me and @previnex
3️⃣Tell me what you’re training for

Open to US only. Winners selected Apr 17.
☀️MORNING OR ⭐️EVENING RUNNER? Which are y ☀️MORNING OR ⭐️EVENING RUNNER? Which are you?

🐦 early birds let’s hear, what time do you get up??? These times are often 🤯🤯
//
Most of the year I’m up by 5, which often leads to “when do you go to bed?!?!” 
Early 😂.
I’ve been prepping for AARP time since we moved to Miami and it was so dang hot. 

The habit stuck, so now I’m up early and lifting it not heading out immediately in the snow.
//
In my early 20s, I ran after work and then a lot over lunch...even in to marathon training.
👇
Now I have to psych myself up for evenings which is when most groups are!
Follow on Instagram
Website written, managed and maintained by Amanda Brooks, a certified running coach and personal trainer. Any advice should be taken as general information and not a personalized plan. All opinions, tips and reviews are based upon her personal life experience and the experiences of those she has coached. View our full privacy and review policy.

Copyright © 2021 RunToTheFinish

Copyright © 2021 · RunToTheFinish V2 on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in