achilles tendonitis advice

[la gata]

Can someone please give me some advice about how they've healed their achilles tendonitis? I have it in BOTH legs, the lft for 10yrs(on and off)and the rt for 3mos.I was able to run thru the left leg injury b/c the tendonitis would be gone for months or even a year at a time, but once it flared up it was also for months at a time until I took a couple of weeks off. Well I've taken 7 wks of and I still feel pain in both achilles, although some days are better than others. I've tried everything(ice, massage, MSM, ibupro., tape, stim, stretching, jacuzzi)and nothing seems to work. I'm so frustrated!!Can someone give me advice? I'm also curious to know how long Sonia O'Sullivan was out and how long people have gone w/o running, albeit cross training, and come back with success. I feel strong from xtraining but I can't run w/o pain. I'm now going into my 10th week of xtraing w/ a little bit of painful running mixed in.ADVICE please!!!!!!!!!!!

[jsquire]

Have you tried orthotics? They often work wonders, but they're such an art form that if they're not made by the right podiatrist they won't be any help at all. Ask around for recommendations.

[Guest]

I reccommend that you take time off of training until the injury heals completely

[Guest]

I recommend trying the eccentric strengthening outlined at the link below. The research looks pretty good and it worked for me after I thought I had tried everything.

http://www.pponline.co.uk/encyc/0031.htm

[runtoo]

I've suffered with Achilles injuries up to and including tearing one off my heal which had to be surgically re-attached. That said, you could try icing them after a run, or some anti-inflammatories; Advil, Motrin, etc. It could also be something as simple as the way you lace your shoes, or the shoes themselves. I found that if I used the top lace holes on my current shoes (Asics DS Trainer) I'd have Achilles pain after a run of 5 miles or more. When I left the top holes empty the pain went away.

[Guest]

Check out:

www.sportsinjurybulletin.com

Some of the best stuff I've seen.

[Guest]

You might want to rule out compartment issues. often this would occur bilaterally w/
many symptoms similar to tendonitis. is this something that flares up when first in spikes
or racers? also more likely to occur in athIetes w/ some fast fiber and pronation troubles, as the compartments are tightest in pronated position. I really need some more training/racing details to help you more. there is also a nutritional aspect to healing achilles injury. dsrunner@juno