[Karen Edmunds]

Advice again please. On yesterdays run I felt a bit of discomfort in my achilles heel, but didn't worry too much. As I wear high heels for work in the office it felt okay all day, but when I took my heels off last night, my achilles heel felt very uncomfortable when my foot was flat instead of arched. It still feels slightly uncomfortable this morning, not sure what to do. It is my rest day today, and got a day off work, I am hoping it is okay tomorrow. Dont want an injury, would hate to have to stop running, any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

[scr8pe]

I'm no expert, but I'd suggest that when you're in heels you are not stretching the Achilles and once out of the heels the Achilles is allowed to stretch.

My physio suggested to me that stretch to the point that it hurts regularly will help the muscle heal. It certainly works for me. Each time I get a niggle I stretch to hurt as often as the niggle reminds me and it soon goes away.

 

[almost_no_specifics]

Yeah, I'd agree with that... even when I haven't been running, when I wear heels (and for some reason I always feel the need to wear stupidly high heels), I find that when I take them off it feels quite tight in my achilles... but this is just because they've not been really used properly, so I can imagine that after a run when your muscles need a stretching, and you're wearing heels which leads to them not getting stretches, they shorten, and this is what may be causing discomfort. See how you feel after your rest day and no heels, you'll probably be fine. If it crops up during the run, then maybe it's something else and you should stop and rest.

 

[pedestrian]

Unfortunately, high-heels are a runner's biggest enemy (It really knacks when someone in stilettos stands on your foot!).
No seriously, as has been mentioned above, prolonged high-heel wearing shortens the tendon (the largest tendon in the Human body, incidentally). When we run, we need the achilles to be stretched to a much greater extent than at any other time; so if you're starting off with "artificially" shortened tendons, the risk of injury is that much higher, I'm afraid.



I gave up wearing heels a long time ago! View attachment 245

 

[scr8pe]

.....................I gave up wearing heels a long time ago! View attachment 245

I'd guess about 1978??

 

[pedestrian]

No, not quite that long ago.
Maybe late 80's?

 

[scr8pe]

Whoops! I had you down as a fellow glam rocker!!

 

[pedestrian]

Whoops! I had you down as a fellow glam rocker!!

Ah ha! I was, but I carried on to become a "Hair-Metaller" with the cowboy boots in the 80's and early 90's! Looking back, I find it hard to believe just what I used to wear!:embarrassed: