RuSseLL CrEe
Kyle -
Achilles pain can be a lingering pain but shouldn't take more than 8 weeks
to heal, especially if cycling is your primary form of exercise. Of course,
without seeing you in person I must refrain from offering any specific
medical advice. I will, however, recommend you avoid your single speed
because you will need to use gears to maintain a high cadence to decrease
the tensile forces through your achilles. An injury like this can be a good
time to focus on perfecting your spin and maintaining a proper cadence
(>90). Without the option of gears, you will be forced to produce more force
to produce the same power output, thus creating more force through your
calf/achilles. You are more likely to heal your injury by creating power
through higher velocity (cadence) than with increased force. And this will
benefit your cycling performance, as well, for other metabolic reasons. I
recommend you see a health care professional that specializes in treatment
of cyclists to evaluate your gastroc, soleus, and possibly post tib
flexibility, and ankle mobility. As far as fitting/positioning, I wouldn't
change too much other than possibly lowering your saddle and moving your
cleats back VERY slightly. Ideally, I wouldn't change anything, assuming you
are already in a good position on your bike. Perfect position is perfect
position, injured or not. It may be worth looking into your ankle position
through your pedal stroke, biomechanics of your pedaling, and your overall
spin efficiency. As Michael mentioned, producing an equal force throughout
the rotation of your pedal stroke is ideal to avoid excessive force through
any muscle group (typically quads, but calf in your case). Essentially,
this allows for the work to be "spread out" through more muscle groups.
Again, there is also a performance benefit from this (an added bonus). I
suppose that's all for now. If you have any questions, feel free to contact
me off list.
-Russell Cree, PT, CSCS
www.realrehab.com
ww.hagensbermancycling.com
----Original Message Follows----
From: KG
Reply-To: KG
To: obra@list.obra.org
Subject: [OBRA Chat] Biking with achilles tendonitis
Date: Thu, 5 Oct 2006 08:07:53 -0700 (PDT)
I've just been told by my doctor that if I want my achilles pain and
swelling to heal I have to nurse it for possibly several months. No running
, no soccer and no long bike rides. (I still got the OK to commute to
work.)
My question: I've moved my seat down and forward and am trying to pedal from
the rear half of my foot to reduce pull on the achilles. Is this completely
messed up? I'm thinking of changing to my fat tire one speed so this
position might be more normal. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Kyle
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