Body Science
Look after Your Achilles
By Sean Falconer
The Achilles tendon is what allows humans to walk upright and to run long distances , and that makes it one of the most important parts of an athlete ’ s body .
According to ancient Greek mythology , the great warrior Achilles was dipped in the sacred river Styx by his mother , Thetis , so that he would be immortal , but she held him by his heel and it was not touched by the water , so his heel remained mortal . During the Trojan War , Achilles was seemingly invincible , but Prince Paris of Troy shot an arrow into Achilles ’ heel and he died of the wound . As a result of this legend , the tendon connecting the heel to the calf became known as the Achilles tendon , and the expression ‘ Achilles Heel ’ came to mean a point of weakness .
Ironically , the Achilles is actually the thickest , strongest tendon in our bodies , which it has to be in order to handle the strain of connecting the heel to the powerful calf muscle . With each step we take , the calf contracts and pulls on the Achilles , which in turn provides the elastic energy to push the foot downwards and allows us to move forwards or upwards . The Achilles therefore carries our entire weight with each step , and several times our weight when running .
Tender Tendons
In spite of its strength , Achilles injuries are fairly common in athletes , with the most common cause being overuse due to a sudden increase in mileage , or a sudden force being exerted on the tendon .
Misalignment is another common cause of injury , with tight or weak leg muscles and misalignment of the knee , hip or back placing undue long-term strain on the Achilles , as can low arches and uneven leg lengths , while women who wear high heels for long periods can end up with shortened Achilles tendons .
There are two common Achilles injuries :
• Achilles tendinosis ( formerly called Achilles tendonitis ) is a soreness that comes on gradually and continues to worsen until treated . It often starts with stiffness when first getting out of bed , and lightly pinching the Achilles with the forefinger and thumb will be sore . This is a common injury among middle- and longdistance runners .
• Achilles tendon rupture is a partial or complete tear of the Achilles that comes on suddenly , sometimes with a popping sound . This is most likely to occur in sports requiring sudden eccentric stretching , such as sprinting , but can also occur in middle- and long-distance running .
Achilles Fix
Treatment for Achilles tendinosis includes rest , icing and physio , followed by strengthening exercises . Treatment for an Achilles rupture includes complete immobilisation , or surgery in the most severe cases . Avoid anti-inflammatory and painkilling drugs ,
No Cramping Your Style
because Achilles tendinosis is a degenerative injury rather than an inflammation , and the drugs will mask the problem , which will then likely get worse as you continue putting pressure on the tendon .
To prevent an Achilles injury , warm up properly with dynamic stretching before working the tendon too hard , such as gentle calf raises , jogging , jumps , hops or skipping . Do daily strengthening with calf raises , starting slowly with just your body weight , and when this can be done without pain , gradually increase the number of repetitions and sets , and then add weight . Concentrate on a slow , measured lowering , and be sure to go all the way down for a full stretch of the Achilles .
In spite of modern science , the jury is still out on the causes of muscle cramping , although several theories of yesteryear have now been thrown out .
For many years , it was believed that cramping was caused by heat , dehydration , or a lack of salt and minerals in the body , but study after study has ruled out all of these factors . Instead , the growing research on cramps points to muscle fatigue and failure in the neural communication pathways of the muscles as the cause of cramping .
As an athlete , you train
a muscle to contract so that you can run , but this fatigues the muscle . It then begins to ‘ short-circuit ’ and stays contracted when it shouldn ’ t , causing a cramp . The mechanism for muscle fatigue and damage that cause cramping is best explained through an imbalance that develops in the nervous system control of muscle . Muscles tend to become very twitchy when they become fatigued or are injured .
So , what this means is that to stop cramps , you just need to get fitter before racing … but that ’ s not going to help you much when a cramp stops you midway through a race . If that happens , there is only one thing you can do : Stop and stretch ! Static stretching , in effect , breaks the cramp , and once you achieve that , you must start running again slowly , and gradually build up your speed again . ( And eating a banana to break a cramp is just an urban legend !)
Then , after the race , adapt some of your training runs so that they are done at the same pace you intend racing , including accelerating in the second half of the run and throwing in that faster finishing effort that many of us inevitably put in at races . You may still get some cramps , but you ’ ll be fitter , faster and better prepared to race – and besides , cramping in training is much better than cramping in a race !
Sean Falconer has been a running journalist and magazine editor for 25 years , and in that time has interviewed five Marathon World Recordholders as well as sprinting great Usain Bolt . He joined Modern Athlete in 2009 and is now one of the three co-owners of the magazine . He has been running since 1995 , has done hundreds of races through the years , and counts running the Himalayan 100-Mile Stage Race in India as one of his best running experiences .
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