This is a general post sharing a prior comment I responded to, because I think it is useful for all clubbies to keep in mind:
Ah, the tight Achilles - that kid always did drink too much (Trojan pun.)
We clubbies have tight one's to begin with (why couldn't we just have tight buns, instead?) The lengthening is actually a response to just that. But, and this is a critical "but", the fact they were lengthened does NOT mean they are no longer tight - quite the opposite, in fact. So, we need to be doing several things more regularly than non-clubbies need to.
1. Achilles stretches. There are many ways, but regardless of which style you use, there is one thing you MUST NOT DO! Bouncing stretches - these can cause micro tearing at the tendon insertion (where it attaches to the calcaneus.) Do your stretches slow and hold. Try to do them at least two different ways: the "push the wall" approach, and the "grab the toes" approach. Both have the added benefit of helping stretch your hamstrings, helping the Achilles by aiding the hamstrings in doing more of the work on extension (when the foot is maximally on the ground, just prior to the heel coming off the ground, is the point of maximum extension of the leg.)
2. If the Achilles is particularly painful, do ice massage before stretching, and after. Just use an ice pack and rub it along the lower length of the Achilles and especially around the insertion into the calcaneus. Helps to use a little skin lotion, to help the ice pack "glide" across the skin.
Take it slow - don't rush to achieve maximum stretch at the beginning - work your way up as the weeks progress. And it is very helpful to incorporate these stretches as a life-long part of your workout, because tendons are somewhat elastic, and have a tendency (no, not a pun,) to shrink back if you stop working at keeping them supple.
As for surgery? I'd try the massage and stretching for a while before thinking in that direction. You might even want to see a physical therapist for more focused exercises.
One more thing - in the worse case scenario, consider wearing slightly higher-heeled shoes for a while - this prevents the Achilles from stretching all the way to the end of its range, so you aren't hitting the pain point with every step. BUT! Don't use that as a substitute for the stretching - do both, and eventually you can go back to lower heels. And if you are wearing high heels all the time? Well, that's how they tend to get tighter. Let me explain:
Our shared condition is called "talipes equino-varus." Let me break that down - talipes - feet; equino - horse-like; varus - the direction the soles of the feet are pointing, or bent in. So, "equino" (not like wino, by the way,) means that the heel cannot reach the ground, because the deformity prevents it doing so. (Named so because a horse's foot appears as if the heel is up in the air and the horse is walking on it's toes.) There is another condition called "acquired equinus" meaning the foot, having been in high heels for many years, has shortened the Achilles to such a degree that the foot can no longer place the heel on the ground, and the person so affected walks on the balls of their feet. This same deformity occurred in the past among women in China whose feet were bound, resulting in what was known then as "lotus feet." Very painful, I can assure you. (Although, weirdly enough, it was considered sexually alluring - go figure. Plus, women whose feet were bound could not walk on their own - they were either carried in a chair, or were held up on both sides by servants, creating what was called a "willow walk" due to the fluttery gait so produced. I actually made a pair of shoes for a very elderly Chinese woman whose feet had been bound as a child. Sad. It was usually only done with women from wealthy families, which makes sense - somebody would have to pay to carry them around everywhere. Like all those limos in Hollywood, eh?)
So, what does this mean for clubbies? Regular wearing of high heels can actually shorten the Achilles over time, thereby potentially reversing all that surgery done to you as a child designed to lengthen them. So even if you go and have another surgery to lengthen them again, you won't be doing yourself much good if you put them right back into the high-heeled shoes.
But we gotta be sexy somehow, don't we? :-)
Ah, the tight Achilles - that kid always did drink too much (Trojan pun.)
We clubbies have tight one's to begin with (why couldn't we just have tight buns, instead?) The lengthening is actually a response to just that. But, and this is a critical "but", the fact they were lengthened does NOT mean they are no longer tight - quite the opposite, in fact. So, we need to be doing several things more regularly than non-clubbies need to.
1. Achilles stretches. There are many ways, but regardless of which style you use, there is one thing you MUST NOT DO! Bouncing stretches - these can cause micro tearing at the tendon insertion (where it attaches to the calcaneus.) Do your stretches slow and hold. Try to do them at least two different ways: the "push the wall" approach, and the "grab the toes" approach. Both have the added benefit of helping stretch your hamstrings, helping the Achilles by aiding the hamstrings in doing more of the work on extension (when the foot is maximally on the ground, just prior to the heel coming off the ground, is the point of maximum extension of the leg.)
2. If the Achilles is particularly painful, do ice massage before stretching, and after. Just use an ice pack and rub it along the lower length of the Achilles and especially around the insertion into the calcaneus. Helps to use a little skin lotion, to help the ice pack "glide" across the skin.
Take it slow - don't rush to achieve maximum stretch at the beginning - work your way up as the weeks progress. And it is very helpful to incorporate these stretches as a life-long part of your workout, because tendons are somewhat elastic, and have a tendency (no, not a pun,) to shrink back if you stop working at keeping them supple.
As for surgery? I'd try the massage and stretching for a while before thinking in that direction. You might even want to see a physical therapist for more focused exercises.
One more thing - in the worse case scenario, consider wearing slightly higher-heeled shoes for a while - this prevents the Achilles from stretching all the way to the end of its range, so you aren't hitting the pain point with every step. BUT! Don't use that as a substitute for the stretching - do both, and eventually you can go back to lower heels. And if you are wearing high heels all the time? Well, that's how they tend to get tighter. Let me explain:
Our shared condition is called "talipes equino-varus." Let me break that down - talipes - feet; equino - horse-like; varus - the direction the soles of the feet are pointing, or bent in. So, "equino" (not like wino, by the way,) means that the heel cannot reach the ground, because the deformity prevents it doing so. (Named so because a horse's foot appears as if the heel is up in the air and the horse is walking on it's toes.) There is another condition called "acquired equinus" meaning the foot, having been in high heels for many years, has shortened the Achilles to such a degree that the foot can no longer place the heel on the ground, and the person so affected walks on the balls of their feet. This same deformity occurred in the past among women in China whose feet were bound, resulting in what was known then as "lotus feet." Very painful, I can assure you. (Although, weirdly enough, it was considered sexually alluring - go figure. Plus, women whose feet were bound could not walk on their own - they were either carried in a chair, or were held up on both sides by servants, creating what was called a "willow walk" due to the fluttery gait so produced. I actually made a pair of shoes for a very elderly Chinese woman whose feet had been bound as a child. Sad. It was usually only done with women from wealthy families, which makes sense - somebody would have to pay to carry them around everywhere. Like all those limos in Hollywood, eh?)
So, what does this mean for clubbies? Regular wearing of high heels can actually shorten the Achilles over time, thereby potentially reversing all that surgery done to you as a child designed to lengthen them. So even if you go and have another surgery to lengthen them again, you won't be doing yourself much good if you put them right back into the high-heeled shoes.
But we gotta be sexy somehow, don't we? :-)
Thank you Natumbo (which in any language must mean "friend.") Until I found this blog I thought I was alone out here with my clubfoot problems. Everything I read was for the infant or child with new clubfoot issues. It was infuriating to me that we as a group had been forgotten. But then I stumbled upon your blog and exhaled deeply. There are other adults like me and apparently one of them is a literal geyser of information!! As the old saying goes, if you want something done right, you've gotta do it yourself. And quite obviously that is what you've done here. A collective thank you from myself and those of us yet to identify ourselves as members of this group. I feel like it's a true blessing to finally have somewhere that we belong :)
ReplyDeleteAlso, FYI - I would love to share my story with your audience. Since you have no direct email link...let me know how to get in touch with you!