Here’s why these tips will help you prevent Achilles Tendonitis:
🩹 Rehab - The best rehab for Achilles Tendonitis focuses on strengthening the tendon. Weighted calf raises and hopping exercises are great, but can be unhelpful if done outside of a structured plan that incorporates these exercises at the right time.
📈 Training load - Affected by total distance run per week, total distance per session, speed, and terrain of your run (e.g. hills or soft surfaces like sand). Limit the increase of your total week-on-week distance to 10% - 20% depending if you have had an Achilles injury, or try to stick to a training load ratio of 1.2; above 1.5 puts your at risk for an injury.
🛌🏼 Recovery time - If you’re new to running or returning after an Achilles injury, your tendon needs more recovery time. It's best to avoid running on consecutive days, so on your recovery days, try swimming, core/upper body/mobility workouts, cycling, and walking.
⏰ Schedule recovery weeks - It's not what it sounds like. Recovery weeks are “easy” weeks that let your body catch up and repair any micro-injuries that have stuck around from previous sessions. A good rule of thumb is to have them every fourth week. Raise your training load bit by bit for 3 weeks, then lower it by about 20% or more in the 4th week.
💪🏼 Strength training - This is a great way to reduce the risk of overuse injuries like Achilles tendonitis, but doing too much can also lead to overtraining and injuries. Try to base any strength training adjustments on your running schedule.
👟 Running shoes - The most crucial factor here is the heel-to-toe drop. Generally, the flatter your shoe, the harder your Achilles has to work. Flatter or zero-drop running shoes aren't bad for your Achilles, but if you want to transition from more heeled shoes, then you should do so slowly. This gives your tendon enough time to strengthen and adapt to the higher loads.
There’s much more information on preventing Achilles Tendonitis for runners on our blog, so have a look there if you want to learn more 🔗
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