Sometime back my running program was interrupted by a sore achilles tendon in my right leg. It was sore to the touch and felt swollen. A 5K fun run at my daughter's school hobbled me for a week. The back of my ankle got stiff and sore. It hurt to walk.
In hindsight I'm pretty sure it was related to the sore heel I had before that. And the plantar fasciitis I experienced before that. I have a working theory that all three of these problems are connected, and that the source of all the problems are tight calf muscles.
The sore heel was a big problem. It kept me from running for months. Rest, ice and message didn't work. I tried inserting extra heel cushions into my shoes, but that only led to heel blisters. In the end it took a cortisone shot to solve the problem.
Plantar fasciitis is a bitch. I've had it a bunch of times. I always thought it was brought on by running overweight, increasing my running mileage too fast, and wearing old running shoes. Massage and ice help alleviate it, but rest has been the only real cure for me. Unless I stop running, it just gets worse.
I am past the sore achilles. It subsided after resting it for a few weeks. I've carefully built my miles back up to where I'm running five and six milers and enjoying it. It feels great!
When I had the heel problem I learned that the achilles connects the calf to the heel. And that the plantar fascia connects the heel to the toes. So it's not too far fetched to think my problems are related. It seems that if the calf is tight that pulls on the achilles. And the achilles affects the heel, which could affect the plantar fascia. Got it?
What to do? I try to run only on treadmills and trails. I try hard to avoid paved surfaces. I do tons of calf stretches and heel raises -- more than you could possibly imagine. After a hard run, I use a foam roller under my calves. I've lost weight (mostly by eating better). I religiously wear Asiics GT-2000's; they have the high arch I need, they're stable, well cushioned, and they fit my foot really well. I replace my them at 400-450 miles. I wear cushioned inserts in all my other shoes, I massage the bottom of my feet most nights; pulling my toes back and pressing my thumb up into the plantar. I never walk around barefoot - ever. And I sometimes sleep with a boot that keeps my calf-achilles-heel-plantar stretched. So far it's working.
What to do? I try to run only on treadmills and trails. I try hard to avoid paved surfaces. I do tons of calf stretches and heel raises -- more than you could possibly imagine. After a hard run, I use a foam roller under my calves. I've lost weight (mostly by eating better). I religiously wear Asiics GT-2000's; they have the high arch I need, they're stable, well cushioned, and they fit my foot really well. I replace my them at 400-450 miles. I wear cushioned inserts in all my other shoes, I massage the bottom of my feet most nights; pulling my toes back and pressing my thumb up into the plantar. I never walk around barefoot - ever. And I sometimes sleep with a boot that keeps my calf-achilles-heel-plantar stretched. So far it's working.
"Tight calf muscles may be caused by a compartment syndrome. This is where the muscle becomes too big for the sheath surrounding the muscle causing pressure, sometimes pain and restricted movement.
Biomechanical problems of the foot or from running style can increase the strain on the calf muscles. Gait analysis on a treadmills can identify this and orthotic inserts may be prescribed to correct this.
Calf muscles may have gradually tightened up over a period of months through not stretching enough before and after training. Tiny micro tears in the muscles cause them to go into spasm. When they are in spasm or contracted then blood cannot easily get into them. The muscles have squeezed the blood out like a sponge. If the muscles do not get enough blood then they will not get enough nutrients and so will tighten up to protect themselves and weaken and so on."
Calf muscle stretching
This is a pretty standard calf stretch. All you need is a wall.
This one's especially good if you're working your way back from injury. You can control the tension with the stretchy band thing.
This is the one I do more than any other. You can stretch your calf as much as you want and hold it for as long as you like. You can also work in some heel raises.
Self Massage
Massage helps to increase blood flow and works out knots or mini-tears. It seems to help minor problems go away and reduce more significant ones. It's not magic or anything, but it seems to help.
You can massage your calf. This guy's playing his like a stringed instrument!
You can massage your plantar fascia. It feels so good it hurts!
You massaging your heel
Rolling a golf ball under your heel and along the plantar fascia works
Or you can use a tennis ball
A mauler ball looks like a medieval torture device, but it feels kind of good under your foot
A neat trick somebody told me about was freezing a water bottle and rolling it under your heel and plantar fascia. It helps reduce swelling, which lets you heal faster. Feels cold though, Duh.
Stretch while you Sleep
The boot keeps the calf, achilles and plantar fascia semi-stretched. I wear it when I remember to, usually before or after hard run days. I can't say for sure that it helps, though it seems to. At least it's got me thinking positively!
