Achilles

ACHILLES
TENDINITIS
prevention & treatment
A SPECIAL REPORT FROM
PEAK The research newsletter on

stamina, strength and fitness
PERFORMANCE
ACHILLES
TENDINITIS
prevention & treatment
Green Star Media Ltd 2014
Published by Green Star Media Ltd, Meadow View,

Tannery Lane, Bramley, Guildford GU5 0AB, UK
Telephone: +44 (0)1483 892894
Publisher Jonathan A. Pye

Editor Bob Troop
Production Manager Frances Peel Yates
Designer Charlie Thomas
The information contained in this publication is believed to be correct at the time of

manufacture. Whilst care has been taken to ensure that the information is accurate, the
publisher can accept no responsibility for any errors or omissions or for changes to details given.
All rights reserved. No parts of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system or transmitted, in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.
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SPECIAL REPORT SERIES
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CUTTING THROUGH THE MYTHS
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reports of a miracle supplement called Creatine. Over 100 issues later
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provides you with the results of hard-edged sport science research.
DYNAMIC STRENGTH TRAINING FOR SWIMMERS

Sports science research consistently identifies intensity, rather than
volume or frequency of training, as the most potent producer of fitness
gains. Dynamic Strength Training for Swimmers brings together
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CARBO LOADING
FOR THAT EXTRA EDGE
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performance. High carbohydrate diets and supplements are no longer
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CONTENTS
Page 11 PREVENTION PROGRAMME: We look at the causes of
Achilles tendinitis, and outline an exercise strategy that
will make your Achilles as strong as spun steel
Raphael Brandon
Page 27 TECHNICALLY SPEAKING: Heres a further look at

Achilles tendinitis, this time from a surgeons point of
view
Alex Watson and Fares Haddad
Page 35 STRENGTHENING PROGRAMME: Achilles tendinitis is

the curse of the running classes. If you suffer from it,
these exercises should help prevent it happening again
Raphael Brandon
Page 43 ANKLE STRENGTHENING: Weak ankles are a key factor

in causing Achilles tendinitis. Heres a guide to making
them strong and proof against sprains as well
Walt Reynolds
Page 57 ABOVE THE ANKLE: Heres how to get an injured knee

fully functional once more
Raphael Brandon
Page 67 WHAT THE PAPERS SAY: Having a short Achilles tendon

may be an athletes Achilles heel
From the publisher
any athletes may not know precisely what the
M Achilles tendon is, apart from being a stretchy bit of

tissue between the ankle and the heel, but they will
certainly be aware of the agonies of Achilles tendinitis. It is a
condition that can wreck your training and utterly destroy your
performance results. The purpose of this special report is to
explain what the Achilles actually does, describe how it works
and how it can be injured, and prescribe exercises and
treatments that can prevent it being hurt and quickly bring it
back to normal.
The report has been prepared by the Peak Performance team of

experts, physiologists, fitness specialists and sports doctors, and
is designed to tell you everything you need to know about the
care and feeding of the Achilles tendon. It contains, among its
abundance of practical advice, a number of strange and
unexpected facts such as, for instance, that the length of your
Achilles tendons may be a crucial factor and by stretching them
you may actually improve your performance!
Strong ankles are one of the key factors in preventing Achilles

tendinitis, and this special report has a definitive article on how
to strengthen them and also prevent that bane of an athletes
life, ankle sprains. Finally, the report has an extra bonus: a
guide to recovering from knee injuries.
I hope you enjoy this special report and find it useful.
Jonathan A Pye
Publisher
PAGE 9
PREVENTION PROGRAMME
We look at the causes of

Achilles tendinitis, and
outline an exercise strategy
that will make your Achilles
as strong as spun steel
Achilles tendinitis is a very common injury, particularly in
runners. Statistics show that it is one of the most common of all
overuse running injuries, accounting for about one in 10 of all
running injuries.
This article will review a definitive piece of research into the
causes of Achilles tendinitis and then go on to discuss the
biomechanics of running and the forces that the Achilles
tendon has to cope with. The article will then prescribe
exercises that will help prevent and/or rehabilitate the injury.
These exercises will match the movements and forces involved
in running in order to develop Achilles tendons that have the
strength to cope without strain.
Was it excessive pronation?

A team of researchers, led by Jean McCrory at Wake Forest
University, North Carolina in 2000, designed an experimental
study to examine the causes of Achilles tendinitis. This study is
important because it was one of the first to investigate the
causes of Achilles tendinitis by analysing two groups of runners,
one suffering from Achilles tendinitis and a control group with
no problems. Previously, the causes of Achilles tendinitis had
been surmised through survey questionnaires or from expert
opinion.
PAGE 11
PEAK PERFORMANCE ACHILLES TENDINITIS SPECIAL REPORT
Based on these studies and opinions, explanations of what

causes Achilles tendinitis revolved around the concept of
excessive pronation ie, too much inward rotation of the rear
foot during the stance phase of the running cycle. This
pronation may bow or twist the tendon (more on this later). The
hypothesis is that thousands of repeated foot strikes involving
excess pronation can cause damage to the Achilles. The
practical application of this theory has been to prescribe
orthotics which are inserted into the running shoe to control
the level of rear foot motion.
...or repeated eccentric contractions?

The
hypothesis is
Another theory about the cause of the injury is that the tendon
is unable to cope with the repeated eccentric contractions which
that thousands the calf muscles must perform as the foot makes contact with
of repeated the ground. If the calf muscles did not contract eccentrically, ie,
foot strikes produce tension as the muscle lengthens, while the foot falls
involving onto the ground and the knee rolls forwards, the ankle would
excess collapse (again, more on this later.) Eccentric contractions
pronation can produce forces which, when repeated, may cause excessive
cause damage stress on the tendon. The practical application of this theory
to the has been to prescribe calf muscle strengthening exercises,

Achilles usually the toe-raise exercise.
McCrorys experiment
McCrory and her teams purpose was to investigate all
possible biomechanical factors and activity patterns in runners
with persistent Achilles problems and compare the results
with a similar group of runners who had no injury problems.
In this way, any differences in either biomechanics or activity
between the groups can be considered a causal factor to the
injury. For example, if the injured runners ran on grass most
of the time and the non-injured runners ran on roads most of
the time, then running on grass can be seen as a potential
cause of the injury.
The runners who took part in the study had been in training
for at least one year, averaging a minimum of 10 miles per week
PAGE 12
of running training. 31 runners were diagnosed by a specialist

as suffering Achilles tendinitis. These made up the Achilles
tendinitis group (AT). 58 runners with no history of overuse
injury which prevented them from running made up the control
group (C).
All the runners completed a questionnaire which provided
data on running history, training miles, training pace, years
running, surfaces, shoes and stretching habits. The purpose of
the questionnaire was to discover if training or behavioural
factors had any effect on injury incidence.
Q angle and Arch Index

Next all the runners had their anthropometric measurements
recorded. These are measurements of body height, weight and
details of leg anatomy that are relevant to running. The first
measurement was Q angle, which is the angle between the line
of the hip to the patella and the line of the shin to the patella.
The greater the Q angle, the more inwardly the knee points in
from the hip. A greater Q angle is related to internal rotation of
the knee and pronation during running. Secondly, an Arch
Index was calculated as the ratio of the length of the medial arch
compared to the length of the whole foot. Arch Index is also
related to pronation during running. Finally, the flexibility of the
ankle joint was evaluated by measuring the degree of motion
either side of the neutral ankle position, which is when the ankle
is at 90o. Again, ankle flexibility has been related to pronation in
running, specifically if the calf muscles are tight, ie there is not
enough dorsiflexion, so the foot has to pronate more during
running to compensate for this lack of motion.
Strength...
The runners were then tested for strength. This involved tests
of maximum strength and strength endurance on a isokinetic
dynamometer. Isokinetic testing machines measure the amount
of force produced at a fixed speed throughout the range of
motion. In this study, the runners performed tests for ankle
plantar flexion and ankle dorsiflexion.
PAGE 13
...rear foot motion...

The runners rear foot motion during running was analysed
using a video camera. To do this, the researchers placed
markers on the back of the shoe and up the back of the calf.
Subjects then ran at their normal training pace and the foot
strike was recorded. The video image was digitised so that the
researchers could determine various parameters, such as foot
angle at contact, maximum pronation angle and time to
maximum pronation.
...and the stance phase

The final analysis performed on the runners was a
measurement of the forces involved during the stance phase of
the running cycle. The researchers had the subjects running at
their normal training pace down a runway which contained a
force platform. The force platform measured the ground
reaction forces (in three directions vertical, horizontal and
lateral) of the foot contact with the ground.
So what did McCrory and her team find out?

The whole purpose of this experiment was to identify
differences between the AT group runners and C group
runners. The following is a summary of the key differences
found.
In terms of training behaviours, C group ran fewer
kilometres per week (44.5 versus 54.1 km). C group also had
run for fewer total years and was slightly younger (9.6 versus
11.9 years running and 34.5 versus 38.4 years old). The training
pace of the AT group was faster than the C group (4.6 min/km
versus 4.9 min/km).
C group stretched more frequently than AT group, but the
majority of C group did not stretch regularly, so this difference
is considered inconclusive. The surfaces runners trained on was
similar, except C group did more on-road and AT group more
on off-road track. This is probably a result of AT runners
wanting to avoid roads, rather than the off-roads being a causal
factor.
PAGE 14
The Arch Index of the two groups of runners was

significantly different (Group C = 0.25 and Group AT = 0.23).
This means AT group had a slightly higher arch, but both groups
had Arch Index within the normal range.
The major findings

The first major finding was that C group were stronger than AT
group. C group had larger force levels of dorsiflexion peak
torque at 600 per second, and higher force levels of plantar
flexion at 1800 per second. There were no differences in
strength between the injured and non-injured legs in the AT
group.
The second set of major findings were the differences in rear
foot motion between the groups of runners. First, at initial If a runner
completes
contact the AT group rear foot is supinated more than the C more miles per
group. The maximum degree of pronation is also greater for the week, has been
AT group, as is the velocity of pronation. This means the AT running for a
groups rear foot goes through a greater range of motion from longer period
a supinated position to a pronated position and faster than of time and
the C group. runs at a faster
There were no differences in the forces between the two average pace,
groups of runners when the foot was in contact with the ground. then obviously
the risk of
What do these findings mean? suffering an
McCrory and her colleagues identified some differences in overuse injury
training behaviours between AT and C groups; number of years such as
of running, training pace and weekly mileage were all greater Achilles
for the injured running group compared to the non-injured tendinitis will
group. Logically this stands to reason. Achilles tendinitis is an be increased
overuse injury which is defined as stress caused by an
accumulation of forces. If a runner completes more miles per

week, has been running for a longer period of time and runs at
a faster average pace, then obviously the risk of suffering an
overuse injury such as Achilles tendinitis will be increased. This
research supports the idea that older runners (in running years
not necessarily age) are more likely to suffer.
One could argue that novice runners could also be at greater
PAGE 15
risk of suffering injuries such as Achilles tendinitis because they

are not used to the forces involved in running and need to build
up gradually to develop the strength necessary to cope with
regular training.
The conclusion from this is that a moderately experienced
runner who avoids excessive mileage will be the least likely to
suffer from Achilles tendinitis. This conclusion agrees with the
majority of previous research into running injuries.
Ankle muscle strength is important

As already noted, one of the major differences found between
the groups of runners was in strength. Both dorsiflexion and
plantar flexion peak force were lower in the AT group. This
means the calf muscles (plantar flexors) and anterior tibialis
(dorsiflexor) were weaker. Interestingly, both injured and non-
injured legs had similar peak force in the AT group. This
suggests that it is not the injury that caused the weakness but
the reduced strength present before the injury occurred. This
would appear to be very convincing evidence that ankle muscle
strength is important for reducing Achilles tendinitis injury
risks.
Last, but not least, pronation

Finally, the AT group of runners had a greater range of
pronation of the rear foot during the foot-strike with the
ground. Specifically, the foot had a greater supination angle as
the foot made impact and then turned over and inwards to a
greater maximum pronation position. The velocity of this
pronation was also greater for the AT group.
The consequence of this greater range and speed of the
pronation movement is that the Achilles tendon itself incurs a
greater force as the foot contacts the ground. As the rear foot
turns inwards pronates the Achilles will bow. The greater
this bowing force, due to the increased pronation angle and
pronation velocity, the greater the strain on the Achilles,
increasing the risk of stress and injury.
In summary, McCrorys research found that after looking at
PAGE 16
a whole host of factors, a greater degree of rear-foot pronation and

reduced ankle-muscle strength were strongly associated with
Achilles tendinitis. This supports previous research and expert
opinion. The practical application of these findings is that
runners need to develop sufficient strength in the ankle muscles
and use specific conditioning and running technique exercises
to control excessive pronation of the rear foot.
The best exercises to follow

If runners need to develop their ankle strength and improve
their running action (to control excess pronation to prevent or
rehabilitate Achilles tendinitis), then what are the best exercises
to do this? Many experts and practitioners dealing with injuries
will have different opinions on this. I have put together a variety
of exercises that I believe will be beneficial. The aim of this
selection of exercises is to develop sufficient and specific
strength in the ankle muscles that are immediately related to
Achilles tendinitis, and also the rest of the leg and the pelvis, to
promote a good efficient running style.
Before I describe the exercises, it would be useful to analyse
the biomechanics of running. This will show exactly how and
when the muscles work during running. The purpose of the
exercises is to strengthen the leg muscles in a similar manner to
the way they work during running. In the usual Peak
Performance style, I will advocate Functional or Specific
exercises for optimum benefits.
First, a sideways glance at biomechanics

Running biomechanics involve each leg following an alternate
stance swing cycle. Lets first look at this from the side view
point, which sports scientists call the sagital plane. At the
beginning of the stance phase, when the foot first makes ground
contact, lets call it foot-down, the knee and hip are slightly
flexed. The knee is usually flexed about 10 and the hip is
usually flexed about 25. At foot-down, the ankle is usually at
its neutral position, which is 90. The part of the foot that
actually contacts the ground first can vary among runners
PAGE 17
between heel and fore foot.

The stance phase can be split into distinct parts, the
cushioning phase and the push-off phase. During the
cushioning phase, the joints are flexing and most leg muscles
are working to absorb the impact with the ground and stabilise
the body position. During the push-off phase the joints become
rigid or extend and certain muscles contract to propel the body
forward.
At the beginning of the cushioning phase the knee joint
flexes rapidly, from 10at foot down to a maximum of around
40of flexion. The ankle joint plantar flexes a little at foot down,
but as the knee flexes and the tibia moves forward over the foot
the ankle quickly dorsiflexes. The amount of dorsiflexion is
about 20, making a minimum ankle angle of 70at the end of
the cushioning phase.
On to toe off
Once the maximum flexion of the knee and ankle has occurred,
the push-off phase begins and the ankle, knee and hip all begin
to extend. This extension should occur in a coordinated pattern.
Thus at the end of the push-off phase, lets call this toe-off, the
knee has re-extended to a flexion angle of 10, the hip extends
behind the body line into 30of extension. The ankle also
extends with the knee and hip and goes back through the
neutral 90ankle position to 20of plantar flexion at toe-off.
During swing, the knee flexes again and then the knee swings
through as the hip flexes forward. After toe-off, the ankle
returns to its neutral 90angle as it swings through, ready for
the following foot strike.
It is important, as you will discover below, to consider as well
the lateral and rotational movements of hip, knee and ankle
that occur during running. These are intrinsically related to the
extension and flexion movements of the ankle, knee and hip
described above.
Now the rear view

Lets look at the rear view of the running biomechanics. At foot
PAGE 18
down the foot is inverted, which means the top of the foot is
facing outwards. This is known as a supinated position. Through
the cushioning phase, as the ankle and knee flex, the foot
pronates. This pronation movement is an essential part of the
shock-absorption process, with the foot being flexible as it rolls
in to attenuate the impact with the ground. It is important to
understand that a normal degree of pronation of the foot is not
This
pronation
bad, but is in fact part of the running mechanic. As the ankle, movement is
knee and hip extend, in the push-off phase, the foot viewed an essential
from the rear starts to invert once more, and should become part of the
rigid to allow for a strong toe-off propulsion. shock-
absorption
The body is supported on one leg process, with
At foot-down the hip, when looking from the rear, is level or the the foot being
swing-leg-side hip is slightly higher. During the cushioning flexible as it
phase, as the knee and ankle flex, the swing side hip will drop rolls in to
slightly, around 10. This drop is a result of the impact with the attenuate the
ground and the weight of the body being supported on one leg. impact with the
During the push-off phase the hips become level again.
The knee at foot-down, when looking from the front, is
ground

rotated outwards slightly. This rotation comes from the hip. As
the knee and ankle flex, the swing-leg-hip drops slightly and the
rear foot pronates during the cushioning phase, and the knee
will also rotate inwards. This inward rotation of the knee is
strongly associated with foot pronation movement. During the
push-off phase, as the ankle, knee and hip extend, the rear foot
inverts and returns to a supinated position, hips become level,
and the knee will rotate outwards again.
A weak link in the chain?

What you should understand from this description is that the
running mechanic involves a coordinated set of joint
movements. These joints work together, cushion the impact
and then propel the body forward during the stance phase. If
this chain of coordinated joint movements has a weak link, then
other parts of the chain have to compensate and excess stress
can occur. This is how inefficient biomechanics can cause injury.
PAGE 19
Lets look at the muscle activity that occurs during the running
mechanic to discover how and when the muscles are working
to produce this complex chain of joint movements.
The exact opposite

What is fascinating about the nature of leg muscle activity
during running is that what occurs is quite the opposite of what
you might expect to happen. For example, you may think that
the quadriceps as the most powerful muscles in the leg will
contract to extend the knee in the push-off phase. Actually, the
quadriceps are not active during the push-off phase. This is also
true of the gluteus maximus and the gastrocnemius and soleus
muscles. During running, the muscles that extend the hip, knee
and ankle are not active during the push-off phase. You may be
forgiven for thinking this is a little strange. So what exactly is
going on?
In the last part of the swing phase, just before foot-down, the
gastrocnemius, soleus, anterior tibialis, quadriceps, hamstrings,
gluteus maximus, hip abductors and adductors are all active.
The fact that all these muscles are switched on at this time is to
prepare the body for impact with the ground. The muscles act
to provide a stiffness to the joints in order to control the landing.
Why the knee and ankle dont collapse

During the cushioning phase the quadriceps, gastrocnemius
and soleus are all active. In fact, this is when the peak activity of
these muscles occurs. At this time the quads, gastroc and soleus
are contracting eccentrically. As the knee flexes and ankle
dorsiflexes, these muscles produce tension to control this
flexion while they are lengthening.
If these muscles were not eccentrically contracting, then
the knee and ankle would collapse at foot-down, instead of
the controlled cushioning phase that occurs. The gluteus
maximus and hip abductors are also active during the
cushioning phase. They also act eccentrically, to control the
movement of the hip. The gluteus maximus helps the body
to maintain an upright posture and the abductors prevent
PAGE 20
the swing-leg-side of the hip from dropping laterally, as

we discussed above. The hamstrings and anterior tibialis are
also active during the cushioning phase. The hamstrings
assist the quads with a co-contraction to maintain a joint
stiffness in the knee. The anterior tibialis also contracts
eccentrically to control the pronation movement of the rear
foot. As with the ankle and knee joints, if the anterior tibialis
did not contract, then the rear foot would collapse inwards at
foot-down.
The main function of the leg muscles during the cushioning
phase is to control the impact with the ground and to absorb
forces, allowing the knee and ankle to flex, the rear foot to
pronate and maintain a stable hip. At this time the leg muscles
contract eccentrically.
What happens in the push-off phase

During the push-off phase, the activity of most of the leg
muscles reduces and even switches off completely. Only the
hamstrings and adductors are active at this time. This means
that the hamstrings and adductors are providing a hip extension
forward propulsion force, but the other muscles are inactive.
The extension of the knee, ankle and inversion of the rear foot
during the push-off phase occur as a result of the elastic
component in the muscles and tendons.
The energy stored when the muscles contract eccentrically,
as they lengthen when the joints flex, is returned through the
elastic properties of the muscles and tendons. This energy is
returned for free! By that I mean it does not require a
contraction of the quadriceps or calf muscles to extend the knee
or ankle. In terms of the ankle extension during the push-off
phase, it is the Achilles tendon that will provide this energy
return.
Contrary to what you may have thought about running
muscles, the energy from the push comes from the tendons and
not from active contractions of the muscles. The muscles mostly
act with eccentric contractions during the cushioning phase to
control the impact with the ground.
PAGE 21
How biomechanical problems can affect the

Achillles
I have described the biomechanics of running in terms of the
coordination of the joints and the type and timings of muscle
activity. So what can go wrong and cause an injury such as
Achilles tendinitis? Why is it that McCrory and her team found
that reduced ankle muscle strength and excess pronation are
strongly associated with the injury?
We have seen how the coordination of the chain of joint
movements is crucial to the running mechanic. The timing of
the cushioning phase movements must be in sync as must the
timing of the push-off phase. One of the problems caused by
excess pronation is that the rear foot can move too far into a
pronated position. This can be exacerbated by the fact that the
foot structure is too cushioning and is unable to become rigid
and return to the supinated position for toe off. If this happens,
then during the push-off phase, the knee is extending and
rotating outwards, which imparts an external rotation force on
the tibia, but the rear foot remains pronated keeping the foot
inwards and imparting an internal rotation force on the tibia.
The net result is a twisting in the lower leg and the Achilles
tendon. This twisting force can cause stress on the Achilles,
resulting in injury.
Excessive whipping of the Achilles

Insufficient strength of the gastrocnemius, soleus and anterior
tibialis, and specifically insufficient eccentric strength, will
result in poor control of the dorsiflexion and pronation during
the foot-down and cushioning phases of running. If these
movements are not controlled, particularly the velocity of
pronation, then this can cause an excessive whipping of the
Achilles tendon as the foot strikes the ground and the knee
rolls forward over the foot, which may result in injury. McCrory
found both that the velocity of pronation was greater in the AT
group of runners and that they also had reduced dorsi and
plantar flexion strength. The two factors are most likely
related.
PAGE 22
Even the hip comes into it

The hip may also cause problems for the lower leg and Achilles
tendon. If the gluteus maximus and hip abductors do not
control the hip sufficiently during the cushioning phase, then
the hip may drop laterally on the swing-leg-side, or the pelvis
could tilt backwards. Either of these would result in a greater
inward rotation force on the knee which would have the knock-
on effect of causing a greater inward rotation of the tibia, which
in turn inwardly rotates the ankle, thus increasing the degree or
velocity of pronation. This is a perfect example of how the
whole leg chain is dependent on all the links working correctly.
If one area, such as the hip, does not perform its correct
function, then other areas are adversely affected.
Beneficial exercises for the Achilles

McCrorys research shows that weak ankle strength is related
If one area,
to Achilles tendinitis (and there is more on strengthening such as the hip,
the ankle later in this special report). The above discussion does not
of the mechanics of running shows that eccentric strength of perform its
the gastrocnemius, soleus and anterior tibialis are also correct
important. The following exercises target the eccentric strength function, then
of these muscles in a manner that is functionally related to other areas are
running. adversely
Ankle to toe walks
Stand up with good posture. Walk with straight knees, using the
affected

ankle only. Start by pulling the toes up as far as you can
(dorsiflex the ankle). Softly place the heel on the floor and then
actively control the foot as it rolls onto the floor. Use the
anterior tibialis the muscles at the front of the shin to achieve
this. If you have trouble controlling this movement, then it is a
sign your anterior tibilias is not strong enough.
Then, as your weight rolls forward, actively push up onto
your toes and lift your foot. Repeat on the other side and
continue walking for 20 steps each foot.
Repeat for 3 sets.
PAGE 23
Heel walks
Stand up with good posture. Walk with straight knees on your
heels only. Pull your toes up, using your anterior tibialis, and
keep them pulled up as far as you can while you walk.
Do 3 sets of 20 steps each leg.
Heel drop and calf raise

Stand on two legs with good posture. Bend your knees slightly,
so they are the same angle as at foot down during running.
Stand up on your toes. You may hold on to something for
balance if you wish. Start by allowing your weight to drop down,
letting your heel fall quickly to the floor. Then, just before your
heels touch down, control the movement and immediately push
back up on to your toes.
This exercise may take a little getting used to, but it is the
perfect non-impact way of developing the eccentric control of
the calf muscles. Hopping exercises can be too stressful for the
injured runner, and so this exercise is a safe and effective
alternative.
The important technical point is to let your heels drop and
then very rapidly control the movement. This exercise should
be performed fast. Just like the foot strike in running.
One-leg knee bends

Stand on one leg, with good posture. It is important that you
actively use your gluteals to ensure the pelvis is level and the
lower back stable. This will help train the hip muscles to stabilise
during the stance phase of running.
In a controlled manner, allow the knee to bend, rolling it
forwards over the foot. Use the quadriceps and calf muscles to
slowly perform this movement. Let your knee extend and stand
straight. Then repeat the movement but this time allow the
knee to rotate inwards as it bends and the foot will pronate.
Again ensure this movement is controlled. Both movements
count as one repetition.
In this way you are stretching the Achilles tendon and
working the calves and quads in a similar fashion to the way they
PAGE 24
work during running.

Perform 3 sets of 10 repetitions on each leg.
Dynamic one-leg knee bends

Exactly the same as above, but this time perform the exercise
as quickly as you can. Once you can control the above
movement perfectly, start to speed up the exercise to stress the
eccentric strength of the calf more. You will need to make this
progression to allow your Achilles tendon to cope with the
higher forces involved in running.
The faster movement also challenges your balance and the
stability of your hip muscles further, which is an advantage.
Again, perform 3 sets of 10 reps.
Dynamic ankle jogging

Do not perform this exercise until your Achilles injury is healed
as it may aggravate a weak Achilles.
This exercise involves jogging with straight knees using the
ankles only. This means you must actively and vigorously pull
the toes up when the foot is off the ground and rapidly extend
the ankle, pushing into the ground during contact. Keeping the
knees straight focuses all the effort on to your ankle muscles
and really works the Achilles tendon. The more you pull the
toes up prior to foot-down, the more you will dynamically
stretch and strengthen the Achilles with this exercise. Aim for
a ball-of-the-foot contact with this exercise. You know you are
doing it well when you see a big movement of the ankle and you
hear a positive sound when the foot hits the ground.
Raphael Brandon
PAGE 25
PAGE 26
TECHNICALLY SPEAKING
Heres a further look at

Achilles tendinitis, this
time from a surgeons point
of view
Achilles tendinitis is a loose term which in the clinical setting
is used to describe the pain, swelling and tenderness usually
experienced in the relatively hypovascular area (an area with
poor blood supply) 2cm to 6cm above the insertion of the
tendon into the calcaneus (heel bone).
The terminology in Achilles tendon injuries can be confusing
and perhaps all overuse injuries arising in tendons should be
termed tendinopathies rather than tendinitis which suggests
that the fundamental problem is inflammatory.
It is believed that two-thirds of Achilles tendon injuries in
competitive athletes are incidents of paratenonitis
(inflammation of the paratenon only) and one-fifth are
insertional complaints (bursitis and insertional tendinitis). The
remaining afflictions consist of pain syndromes of the
myotendinous junction and tendinopathies (1).
When the term tendinitis is used in a clinical context, it does
not refer to a specific histopathological entity but rather to a
group of conditions that are truly tendinoses (tendon
degeneration without associated inflammation). This may lead
athletes and their coaches to underestimate the chronic nature
of the condition (2).
Aetiology
The aetiology remains unclear. Excessive repetitive overload
of the Achilles tendon is regarded as the primary stimulus which
PAGE 27
results in tendinopathy. In one study, however, 31% of 58

patients with tendinopathies did not participate in vigorous
physical exercise (3).
Believed causes of acute Achilles tendinitis include:
It is most
commonly
(a) inflexibility of the Achilles tendon
(b) insufficient gastrosoleus strength or flexibility
seen in male (c) functional over-pronation, producing a whipping action
recreational on the Achilles tendon as the heel goes from varus on heel
runners aged strike to valgus in midstance (4)
between 35 and (d) number of years running, training pace, stretching
45 and habits (5)
although (e) recent change in shoe wear and poor running shoes
believed to be (f) recent increase in training, especially if it includes hill
due to overuse, running
is again also (g) eccentric loading of a fatigued muscle-tendon unit from
seen in patients overtraining or running on uneven terrain
with sedentary

lifestyles Chronic Achilles tendinosis is a condition of unknown
aetiology. It is most commonly seen in male recreational
runners aged between 35 and 45 and although believed to be
due to overuse, is again also seen in patients with sedentary
lifestyles. Pain is often, but not always, experienced when the
Achilles tendon is loaded (6).
Features
The patient may admit to a history of a change in training
habits, and complain of localised pain and tenderness over the
distal Achilles tendon. The pain is most acute during the push-
off phase of running or jumping. Runners experience pain at
the beginning and at the end of a training session with a period
of diminished discomfort in between (7).
On examination, there may be localised swelling, a tight
Achilles tendon, and heel alignment may be abnormal.
The preferred investigations to confirm and evaluate
Achilles tendinopathy are MRI and ultrasound. There is a
significant overlap of MRI findings in symptomatic and
asymptomatic Achilles tendons (8). However, ultrasound
PAGE 28
undertaken by a specialist musculoskeletal radiologist has

been recently shown to provide information that accurately
diagnoses clinical Achilles tendinopathy and may help
to determine the biomechanical processes involved in the
injury (9).
Treatment: non operative

In the acute phase the following non-operative measures are
employed:
(a) relative rest (avoiding painful aggravating activities)
(b) ice
(c) non-steroidal anti-inflammatory analgesia (local gels and
tablets)
(d) customised orthoses and heel lifts (12mm to 15mm) to
alleviate overpronation caused by tibia varum or subtalar or
fore-foot varus. Heel lifts are commonly used, especially in
runners, with success in up to 75% (10) of cases
(e) stretching by pulling, holding and releasing the gastroc-
nemius-soleus complex using a wall, stair, or 20o inclined
board (11)
(f) cross-training
(g) cryotherapy for its analgesic effect
(h) therapeutic ultrasound may reduce swelling in the acute
inflammatory phase
If symptoms are severe and unresponsive to the conservative

measures above, a short period (to a maximum three weeks)
of cast immobilisation may be necessary.
Patients with chronic problems are initially treated as for
acute injuries although some researchers suggest that this may
be time-consuming and unsatisfactory (12).
Treatment: operative
It has been generally accepted that if a patient has symptoms
persisting for at least six months that interfere with work or
athletics, and if he/she has been engaged in a defined physical
therapy programme, then surgery may be offered.
PAGE 29
PEAK PERFORMANCE ACHILLES TENDINITIS
TENTONITIS SPECIAL
SPECIAL REPORT
REPORT
The Achilles tendon should be explored, partial tears

surgically debrided and remaining tissue repaired. Thickened
paratenon should be incised or excised (13). Any bony calcaneal
prominence should be excised. Satisfactory results have been
reported in approximately two-thirds of patients (14,15). However,
a recent study has critically reviewed the outcome of surgery for
chronic Achilles tendinopathy stated in 26 publications (16). It
suggests that the study methods employed in these publications
influenced the reported surgical outcome. The true result of
surgery for Achilles tendinopathy is therefore unknown.
Surgery must only be contemplated when the surgeon is
satisfied that there is an absolute indication for it, and that all
the appropriate non-operative measures have been attempted
by the correct personnel.
It is not known whether open surgery induces
revascularisation, denervation, or both, resulting in reduction
of pain. Multiple percutaneous longitudinal tenotomies
(keyhole partial cuts in the tendon in order to allow it to
lengthen) can be performed instead of open procedures with
comparable outcome (17). This relatively simple procedure
should be reserved for patients who have isolated
tendinopathies less than 2.5cm long that have been confirmed
by ultrasound and where the paratenon is not involved. Such
tenotomies have recently been shown to increase the blood
supply to the degenerated area in a rabbit model (18).
Rehabilitation post-surgery may be prolonged. It has been
reported that six months of post-operative rehabilitation for
chronic Achilles tendinitis is not enough to recover concentric
and eccentric plantar flexion muscle strength compared with
the non-injured side (19). Furthermore, progressive calcaneal
bone loss has been shown on the operated side one year after
surgery (6).
Corticosteroid injections
The use of local corticosteroid injections for the treatment of
Achilles tendinitis is controversial as many case reports have
implicated them as the cause of subsequent Achilles tendon
PAGE 30
rupture. The theory is that corticosteroid decreases the

metabolic rate of chondrocytes and fibrocytes resulting in a
weakening of the structural integrity of the tendon and articular
cartilage. There are no published rigorous studies that evaluate
the risk of rupture with or without corticosteroid injection, and
the data published is insufficient to determine the comparative
risks and benefits (10). Taking all this information into account
however, it is best to avoid the use of corticosteroid injections
in the treatment of Achilles tendinitis.
The future
Promising short-term results from a prospective multi-centre
study have been recently published (20). Chronic Achilles
tendinosis was shown to respond well to heavy load eccentric

Although
many of the
calf muscle training (significantly better than to concentric molecular
training), with 82% of patients satisfied and returning to their factors
pre-injury activity level. Long-term results are needed to promoting
evaluate whether this will reduce the need for surgical tendon healing
intervention for tendinoses located in the mid-portion of the have been
Achilles tendon. identified,
The future may lie in molecular biology. Although many of delivering them
the molecular factors promoting tendon healing have been to the damaged
identified, delivering them to the damaged tendon is proving
tendon is
difficult. The answer to this problem may lie in gene therapy
proving
whereby the transfer of growth factor genes into tenocytes may
allow the continuous release of growth factors at the healing
site. This has been successfully done in animal studies! (21).
difficult

Alex Watson and Fares Haddad
References
1. Sports Medicine, 18 (3), pp173-201, 1994
2. Arthroscopy, 14 (8), pp840-843, 1998
3. Foot and Ankle International, 18 (9), pp565-569, 1997
PAGE 31
TENTONITIS SPECIAL
SPECIAL REPORT
REPORT
4. American Journal of Sports Medicine, 6 (2), pp40-50, 1978

5. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 31 (10), pp1374-
1381, 1999
6. Sports Medicine, 29 (2), pp135-146, 2000
7. Foot Ankle Clin, 1, pp249-259, 1996
8. Skeletal Radiology, 29 (11), pp640-645, 2000
9. Journal of Clinical Ultrasound, 28 (2), pp61-66, 2000
10. Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine, 6 (4), pp245-250, 1996
11. Annales Chirurgiae et Gynacol, 80 (2), pp188-201, 2000
12. Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, 62-B (3), pp353-357,
1980
13. American Journal of Sports Medicine, 17 (6), pp754-759,
1989
1994
15. Scand J Med Sci Sports, 7 (5), pp299-303, 1997
2001
1997
18. Scand J Med Sci Sports, 11 (1), pp4-8, 2001
1996
20. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc, 9 (1), pp42-47, 2001
21. Gene Therapy, 3 (12), pp1089-1093, 1996
PAGE 32
PAGE 33
PAGE 34
STRENGTHENING PROGRAMME
Achilles tendinitis is the

curse of the running
classes. If you suffer from it,
these exercises should help
prevent it happening again
Achilles tendinitis is a common injury for all athletes and fitness
participants, especially those who run seriously as a sport or
main fitness activity. The injury involves damage to the fibres
on the Achilles tendon unit, often at the narrow point of the
tendon just above the heel. This area is most at risk because it
has a smaller blood supply than the rest of the tendon, and so is
unable to repair itself as easily. The symptoms involve pain in
the Achilles with motion (which will increase if exercise
continues), tenderness to touch and often warmth and swelling
in the area. Sufferers can also complain of stiffness and pain
when getting up in the morning.
Achilles tendinitis is a chronic stress injury. Excessive forces
cause damage to the tendon, where lots of little stresses
accumulate to overload the Achilles. This is in contrast to an
acute stress or accident-type injury, where a single large stress
causes the damage, eg, an ankle ligament sprain.
Bad shoes can be a factor

There are a variety of reasons for repetitive excess stress.
Incorrect shoes are a common cause, where the training shoe
provides either insufficient support or insufficient cushioning.
If an athlete suddenly develops tendinitis and he/she has been
using the same shoes for a long time (over six months) or has
PAGE 35
TENTONITIS SPECIAL
SPECIAL REPORT
REPORT
run many miles in those shoes (over 500), then it is quite likely
that the training shoes have simply worn out. Replacing the
shoes will probably solve the problem. It is also possible that if
the onset of tendinitis symptoms coincides with a change in
training shoes, then the new shoes are probably not suitable.
Training surfaces are also related to tendinitis injuries.
Running on hard surfaces, such as roads, creates greater impact
forces that will stress the tendon more. Alternatively, uneven
Running on
hard surfaces,
surfaces will place greater shear forces on the tendon. Shear
forces are applied sideways and tendons are less strong in this
such as roads, direction (which can also cause overloading). This is why
creates greater treadmills are often very useful for athletes with injury
impact forces problems, since they are smooth but have more give than roads.
that will stress
the tendon Imitate the action of the tortoise
more. The amount of mileage an athlete completes each week is also
Alternatively, strongly related to their risks of Achilles tendinitis. Quite
uneven simply, the more miles you run, the more stress is placed on the
surfaces will tendon. For example, an athlete may never be injured
place greater completing a moderate 20-30 miles a week schedule, but will
shear forces on suffer problems if attempting 40-50 miles a week. One of the
the tendon
most important training principles to avoid injury is gradual
progression. This means any increase in mileage or intensity of
training must be slow and steady, otherwise injury risks are
greatly heightened. A guideline of a 5-10% increase in mileage
per week is a good rule of thumb. Adopting this measured
approach allows the muscles and tendons time to increase their
strength to cope with the extra stress. Many injuries are caused
by athletes increasing volume or intensity too rapidly.
Pronation and weak calves

Individual biomechanical factors also affect the forces acting
on the Achilles. For example, excessive pronation can
contribute to tendinitis. Pronation is the inward movement of
the rear-foot as you contact the ground during walking or
running and is necessary to absorb the impact forces. However,
too much pronation, or too fast a rate, can internally rotate the
lower leg excessively, which means the rearfoot does not

achieve the optimum position during the pushing-off phase. To
compensate for this less-efficient mechanical position, the
muscles and tendons of the lower leg must work harder, and
thus excessive stress can occur. For this reason, orthotics worn
inside the running shoes to control the rear-foot motion can
often help athletes who over-pronate.
Two other individual factors causing tendinitis can be lack of
flexibility and lack of strength in the calf muscles. Tightness in
the calf will lead to extra tension being placed on the Achilles
tendon, during running and walking, especially up hills. Lack
of strength may mean that the tendon will not be able to cope
with the forces applied during movements. During running, the
calf muscles are most active during the first half of the contact
phase, when the muscles are absorbing the impact with the
ground. At this point the calf muscles are working eccentrically
to control the forward motion of the lower leg. When a muscle
works eccentrically, it is lengthening as it contracts. The faster
this contraction, the greater the forces applied.
With this in mind, a strengthening programme for the calf
muscles should focus on developing eccentric strength, using
progressively faster speeds of movement to increase the forces
that the calf can handle. This type of programme is functional,
which means that it involves the same type of contraction of the
calf muscles that occurs during running, and so should have
greater benefits for injury prevention and rehabilitation.
Heres an exercise plan...

Harvey Wallmann (2000), an assistant professor of physical
therapy at the University of Nevada, presents the following
exercise plan to help athletes recover from Achilles tendinitis.
It is based on the factors discussed above, specifically,
development of flexibility and eccentric strength in the calf
muscles in order to increase the tendons ability to cope with
forces. The stretching component of the programme is doubly
important for athletes recovering from injury because, during
the healing process, the direction of the collagen fibres that are
PAGE 37
TENTONITIS SPECIAL
SPECIAL REPORT
REPORT
regenerated is dependent on the forces applied to the tendon.

Gentle stress in the form of stretching will ensure the fibres are
laid down in the correct alignment. Without this force during
the healing process, the fibres are laid down randomly, which
means that the tendon will not be as strong and the likelihood
of the injury recurring is increased.
The rehabilitation process should take place after one or two
weeks of rest, during which time the athlete is inactive, apart
from some gentle calf stretching. After this rest period the
tendon should have healed and any pain and inflammation
should have gone. This is the time to begin strengthening the
tendon.
Follow this workout

The workout comprises the following, and should be performed
every day:
1. warm-up
2. stretching
3. eccentric programme
4. stretching
The warm-up should involve 5-10 minutes of gentle CV

exercise. Ideally, this should be non-weight-bearing, eg, cycling.
The purpose of this is to warm up the muscles to prepare them
for the stretching and strengthening exercise that follows.
The stretching involves static stretches for both the
gastrocnemius and soleus muscles. To stretch the gastrocnemius,
lean forward against a wall with one leg behind you. Keep the
leg completely straight, the heel on the floor and the toes
pointing forward. To stretch the soleus, lean against the wall with
one leg behind you but slightly closer than before. Bend the knee
slightly and place your weight on the front foot, keeping your
heel on the floor and toes pointing forwards. Perform three lots
of 30-second stretches on each side, holding a moderate stretch
each time. These stretches must not be painful.
The eccentric programme involves the simple calf-raise
exercise using only body weight. The progression comes from
PAGE 38
increasing the load and speed of the eccentric phase of the

movement, which is the heel-lowering phase. Each athlete must
progress at his/her own speed, depending on the pain response
to the workout. The last set of repetitions should feel hard but
not painful. If the next day the workout feels the same or easier,
then increase the difficulty the following day. Progress in this
manner until you can reach the highest level outlined below,
which may take from a few weeks to months, especially if you
have suffered from Achilles tendinitis for a long time.
Level one
Perform a straight-legged heel raise with the uninjured leg.
Place the ball of the injured leg down and lower slowly with both
legs until heels reach the floor. The drop should last for four
counts.
Repeat 10 times. Perform three sets with 30 seconds rest between
sets.
Progress by increasing the lowering speed to a count of two,
and then progress to a fast drop of one count. Once this is
achieved, move on to performing a bent-legged heel raise,
which will place an extra load on the soleus muscle. The knee
should be bent 20-30 degrees. Again, start with a slow lowering
phase and gradually speed up.
Level two
Perform a heel raise with both legs for lowering and raising
phases. Perform three sets of 10 reps with 30 seconds rest.
Progress by increasing speed and on to the bent-legged position
as in level one.
Level three
Perform the heel raise with only the uninjured leg during the
raising phase and then only with the injured leg during the
lowering phase, thereby focusing the eccentric load on the
injured side. Perform three sets of 10 reps with 30 seconds rest.
Progress the speed of lowering and the bent-legged position as
level one.
PAGE 39
TENTONITIS SPECIAL
SPECIAL REPORT
REPORT
Level four
Perform the heel raise with both legs during the raising phase
with with only the injured leg during the lowering phase.
Perform three sets of 10 reps with 30 seconds rest. Progress as
This five-
level
level one.
progressive Level five

eccentric Perform the heel raise lowering and raising with only the
workout is a injured side. Perform three sets of 10 reps with 30 seconds rest.
suitable way to Progress as level one.
strengthen the This five-level progressive eccentric workout is a suitable way
calf muscle to strengthen the calf muscle and the Achilles tendon after an
and the injury. In combination with the stretching exercises, the
Achilles workout will improve the function of the calf muscles and help
tendon after an the athlete back to full fitness. Wallmann claims that both

injury research and clinical experience support the use of the
programme which I can back up anecdotally by the fact that one
of my clients, who has suffered from Achilles tendinitis for
years, is currently following the programme and making good
progress.
Raphael Brandon
PAGE 40
PAGE 41
PAGE 42
ANKLE STRENGTHENING
Weak ankles are a key factor

in causing Achilles
tendinitis. Heres a guide to
making them strong and
proof against sprains as well
Take any sport you choose rugby, football, cricket, sprinting,
whatever and a sprained ankle will be the most common
injury. Few athletes have escaped suffering from one at some
time or other in their career.
Sprained ankles are double trouble: they can be extremely
painful, and they often curtail training or competing at key
times of the year. Worst of all, even after youve recovered
from an ankle sprain, your ankle is temporarily weaker than
normal, and thus youre at a higher risk of sustaining another
sprain or even a more serious ankle injury. What should you
do to re-build your ankle after a sprain?
Surprisingly enough, the answer is to use a balance board.
Balance-board work can improve your overall coordination and
thus take excessive strain off your ankles and help you move
more efficiently. A balance board can also increase the active
strength of the muscles in your ankles, as well as your feet and
legs, dramatically lowering your risk of injury. In addition,
balance-board routines can upgrade the mobility and flexibility
of your ankles (as well as your feet, shins, and calves), further
decreasing injury risk and leading to more powerful push-offs
and longer strides whenever you move vigorously during your
sporting activity. While you strengthen your ankles, youll also
give your performance a boost.
PAGE 43
TENTONITIS SPECIAL
SPECIAL REPORT
REPORT
Not just ankle sprains

Best of all, balance-board routines are good for other injuries,
too. Although balance boards are not especially popular among
athletes, balance-board training has been used for decades by
Balance- sports-medicine specialists to rehabilitate and treat a wide

board training range of injuries to the foot, ankle, shin, calf, knee, hip and
has been used trunk. These injuries include (in addition to ankle sprains)
for decades by Achilles tendinitis, Achilles-tendon ruptures (post-surgery),
sports- shin splints, calf strains, ACL tears and ruptures, hamstring
medicine maladies, and lower-back problems. Boards are also utilised
specialists to frequently by patients who have undergone hip-replacement
rehabilitate surgery, as well as by individuals who have gone under the knife
and treat a to repair a troublesome back.
wide range of Even though balance boards have historically been used
injuries to the primarily in a therapeutic setting, they have recently become
foot, ankle, more popular with serious athletes as a training tool. As balance
shin, calf, knee, boards have squeezed their way into the training arena, the line

hip and trunk between balance-board rehabilitation therapy and balance-
board training has become increasingly fuzzy, as therapists and
coaches have begun to borrow techniques and methods from
each other. Among athletes who use boards, the current
thinking is: If they are good for rehabilitation from injury, they
are probably good for prevention of injury, too, and thus might
help me train more consistently. Among physiotherapists and
other sports-medicine specialists, the thought is: If athletes are
using balance boards in certain ways, those techniques should
also be good for patients who need to restore functional
strength.
For individuals who engage in a sport that requires a fair
amount of running, a primary area of concern from both an
injury-prevention and training standpoint would be the
structures of the foot, ankle, and lower part of the leg (including
the muscles, tendons, ligaments, bones, and cartilage in those
areas). These structures are under constant stress during
running and undergo considerable (and repeated) loading,
even during short runs, with a force equal to two-and-a-half-to-
three times ones body weight passing through the body parts
PAGE 44
with each step. Athletes have become increasingly aware that

they need to shore up the strength of the lower parts of their
legs, and they are also beginning to realise that if they can
strengthen and more effectively coordinate the actions of their
feet, ankles, shins and calves, they will be able to develop more
explosive and powerful push-offs and thus longer strides,
leading to potential gains in performance.
Exercises with a balance board are especially effective at
improving the strength, mobility, flexibility, and elasticity of the
muscles, tendons and ligaments which run between the knees
and toes. These structures include the intrinsic muscles of the
feet, the plantar fasciae, the plantar and dorsiflexors of the
ankle, and the Achilles tendons. All of these anatomical
components help to stabilise and control the foot and lower part
of the leg during the foot-strike portion of the gait cycle and, in
particular, govern and coordinate pronation, the natural
inward movement and rotation that occurs at the ankle
immediately after the foot hits the ground. Balance-board
exercises mimic what happens to the muscles, tendons, and
ligaments of the feet, ankles, and lower legs during running
and thus fortify them for the stresses they must endure.
What kind of balance board is best?

Balance boards are made in two general configurations. The
first type the rocker board has a platform on which you
stand and a rectangular strip of wood on the bottom of the
platform. The strip on the bottom runs the entire length of the
platform (12-16 inches) and is typically half to one inch wide
and half an inch high. Instability and thus an increased
demand for coordinating force production by the muscles of
the feet, ankles and legs is created by placing this strip on the
ground and standing on top of the platform. Obviously, the
direction of instability can be varied from front-to-back or side-
to-side, depending on how you position your foot relative to the
wooden strip, but that is all you can do with a rocker board, and
thus instability can really be created in just one plane of motion.
Rocker boards are most useful for beginning and
PAGE 45
TENTONITIS SPECIAL
SPECIAL REPORT
REPORT
intermediate-level balance-board trainers. For best results, they

should allow for 10 to 15o of motion (ie, incline/decline of the
platform surface).
The second type of board the wobble board has a
wooden (or plastic) half-sphere on the bottom of the platform
and thus provides instability in multiple planes of motion. Since
the true motion of the ankle joint during the act of running can
never be described as a simple flop forward or backward or a
simple roll to the inside or outside (the only motions permitted
by rocker boards), its clear that wobble boards provide much
more specific training for runners (ie, they mimic joint
movements much more effectively) and are considerably more
beneficial than rocker boards.
The half-sphere beneath a wobble-board platform can vary
in size from a-half to two inches high. For two-footed wobble-
board exercises, the feet are placed on opposite sides of the
platform with the half-sphere in the middle. For exercises on
one foot, the weight-bearing foot is placed in the centre of the
The
prescribed
platform, directly over the half-sphere. Wobble boards are most
useful for intermediate and advanced balance-board trainers
exercises o
and should allow for 15 to 20 of motion (incline/decline of the
develop
platform surface) in all planes for best results.
shin-muscle
strength and
Balance-board exercises
resiliency
The exercises described below are great for improving your
as well as
strength, coordination, and flexibility, but they are by no means
overall ankle
the only exertions that can be carried out with a balance board.
coordination
Ultimately, you can use your own creativity to design and
implement additional practical and exciting exercises with the
balance board.
Beginning Exercises (carried out on a wooden floor or very firm,

carpeted surface using a square rocker board):
1. The two-leg stand and balance with instability from side

to side
The rocker strip should run from front to back, parallel to the
PAGE 46
direction of your feet, with one foot on each side of the strip.
Simply hold your position for 30 seconds without letting the
edges of the board touch the ground.
2. The two-leg stand and balance with instability from front

to back
This time, the rocker strip runs from side to side, perpendicular
to the direction of your feet. Complete the exercise by simply
holding a balance position for 30 seconds, without touching the
edges of the board to the ground.
Both of these exercises develop balance and coordination of
the entire body the feet, ankles, legs, hips, trunk, neck and
head. They also enhance the so-called grip strength of the feet
and toes, which will allow for progression into more difficult
balance-board exercises.
3. Side-to-side edge taps

Position the rocker board so that the rocker strip is running
from front to back, parallel to your feet, which creates side-to-
side instability. Then, slowly and deliberately touch or tap the
lateral edges of the platform to the ground (left edge, then right
edge, left, right, etc) for about one minute. This range-of-
motion and strength exercise should be done under full control,
without rapid swings of the board from side to side.
4. Front-to-back edge taps

Position the rocker board so that the rocker strip underneath
the platform is running from side to side, perpendicular to your
feet, and then slowly and deliberately touch or tap the front
and back edges of the platform to the ground (front edge, then
back edge, front, back, etc.) for approximately one minute.
Once again, perform this exercise with smooth, rhythmic
movements, without sudden jerks of the platform.
Both tapping exercises develop gripping strength in the feet
and toes and augment the mobility and flexibility of the ankles
and feet. Compared to the first two exercises, these tapping
routines have a much more pronounced strengthening and
PAGE 47
TENTONITIS SPECIAL
SPECIAL REPORT
REPORT
mobilising effect on both the plantar fasciae and Achilles

tendons due to their dynamic (as opposed to static) nature.
Intermediate exercises
Using a square rocker board placed on a wooden floor or firm
carpet, carry out the four exercises described above, but this
time on only one foot at a time (first the left foot, then the right).
Working on one foot at a time effectively doubles the work load
of your muscles, magnifying strength development, and also
Working on
one foot at a
makes the exercises much more specific to running.
If these intermediate, one-footed exercises are initially too
time effectively
difficult for you to perform without losing your balance, simply
doubles the
place the toe of your opposite (non-weight bearing) foot on the
work load of
ground six to 10 inches behind the balance board. This should
your muscles,
allow you to perform the exercises more effectively as you make
magnifying
the transition to one-footed exertions.
strength
development,
and also makes
Advanced exercises
For these routines, use a round wobble board on a wooden floor
the exercises
or firm, carpeted surface.
much more
specific to
1. Side-to-side edge taps
running
Place one foot directly in the middle of the platform, and note
that your board is unstable in all directions (planes). Slowly and
deliberately touch or tap the lateral edges of the platform to
the ground (left edge, right edge, left, right, etc.) for about one
minute. Maintain full control at all times, avoiding hasty
motions of the balance board. If the exercise is too difficult at
first, place the toes of your other foot on the ground behind the
wobble board for better balance. Once the minute is up, repeat
the exercise on the opposite foot.
2. Front-to-back edge taps

These are just like the side-to-side exercise, except that you are
touching the front edge of the balance board to the floor, then
the back edge, etc. Do it for a minute on your left foot and then
for a minute on your right.
PAGE 48
3. Edge circles
Place your left foot in the centre of the wobble board, and then
slowly and deliberately touch the edge of the platform to the
floor, rotating this edge touch in a clockwise fashion so that an
edge of the platform is in contact with the floor at all times. The
actual motion must be very slow and controlled to gain full
benefit from the exercise and should be performed for one
minute without stopping. As before, place the opposite foot on
the ground behind you, if a full one-leg balance proves too
challenging. Once you have rotated for one minute on one foot,
change to the other.
4. Counter-clockwise edge circles

These are the same as the edge circles, except that you are now
rolling the edge along in a counter-clockwise direction.
These advanced balance-board exercises develop coordination,

balance, strength, and mobility in the muscles of the feet,
ankles, legs, hips, and trunk. They are part of a progression
which began with the simple, single-plane exercises (the
beginning and intermediate ones) and serve to specifically
increase the functional strength and elasticity of the key muscles
used during running. The advanced exercises require a high
degree of body awareness, and as a result, they must be
practised on a regular basis. Fortunately, they dont take so long
to carry out; the advanced exercises, for example, can be
completed in five minutes or less. Since the motor skills needed
to do them will require repeated exposure for optimal
development, its best to do them at least four to five times a
week.
Very advanced balance-board exercises
5. The one-leg squat with balance board

This unique exercise strongly develops the quadriceps and
gluteals, with a complimentary boost to the hamstrings, as it
upgrades strength and improves coordination in your feet,
PAGE 49
TENTONITIS SPECIAL
SPECIAL REPORT
REPORT
ankles, shins, and calves. To complete one-leg squats in the

correct way with a balance board, stand with your left foot
forward, on the centre of the board, and your right leg and foot
extended straight back, with your feet about one shin-length
apart. To see if you have the right distance, try squatting down
by flexing your left knee and lowering your trunk; as you do so,
your right knee should be not far from your left heel. Your feet
should be hip-width apart from side to side. Place the toes of
the right foot on a block, aerobics platform, or small step which
is approximately six inches high. Almost all your weight should
be directed through the heel of the left foot, the one which is
perched on the balance board. Bend your left leg (ie, flex your
left hip and left knee) and lower your body until your left knee
reaches an angle of about 90o between the thigh and lower leg.
Return to the starting position, maintaining upright posture
with the trunk and holding your hands at your sides. Complete
about eight reps, and then shift over to the other leg. After a
brief rest, complete eight more reps with each leg. As your
coordination and strength improve over time, you may increase
the number of reps and sets.
6. Running on the balance board

Stand upright with your left foot in the centre of the balance
board and your right foot off the ground and balance board;
your right leg should be flexed at the knee, as though your right
leg were swinging forward during the swing phase of the gait
cycle. Then, perform a posterior pelvic tilt by tightening your
buttocks, contracting your abdominals, and curling your pelvis
under. The posterior pelvic tilt is sometimes referred to as
tucking your tail; you can think of it as moving the bottom of
your pelvic girdle forward and the top slightly backwards. Your
head and neck should be in a neutral position and aligned with
your upper body. Your arms should be relaxed but flexed at the
elbows, as they would be during running. Maintain this basic
position throughout the exercise.
Simply move your arms forward in an alternating pattern
(first right, then left), returning your right arm to your side as
PAGE 50
your left swings forward, and vice-versa. Both arms should be

in constant motion, without pause, and the overall arm and
shoulder action should simulate what happens to your arms and
shoulders when you run (as you get more coordinated, you may
exaggerate the arm swings, taking your arms through a broader
range of motion than would be characteristic of running).
Repeat the exercise continuously for 30 seconds, and then shift
over to your other foot. Over time, you may increase the speed
of arm movement, but stay under control at all times. Its also
appropriate to progress to three sets of this exercise, instead of
just one.
As an extension of this exercise, you may hold dumbbells at
your sides with your palms facing in towards your body, and
then alternately curl each arm until the dumbbell is in front of
your shoulder. The curling action should be rhythmic, and your
arms should be moving at all times (raise the right arm at the
same time that you are lowering the left arm and vice-versa).
Maintain a stable posture throughout the exercise. At first, the
dumbbells should be very light, but you can progress to weights
which produce significant fatigue after about 15 reps. Use a
cadence of one arm curl (up and down) about every two
seconds, and start with two sets of 15 to 20 repetitions (resting
momentarily between sets), before progressing to three or four
sets as your strength and coordination improve.
The worst is yet to come!
7. Balance-board core torture

Lie down, stretching out in a prone position (with face and belly
downward), with full body weight supported only by your
forearms and toes. The catch is that your forearms should be
resting on either side of the centre of the balance board!
In this position, your elbows should be almost directly below
your shoulders. Your forearms are resting on the board, pointed
straight ahead (parallel to the line made by your body). Your
toes (and feet) are about shoulder-width apart, and your toes
are the only part of your lower body which are in contact the
PAGE 51
TENTONITIS SPECIAL
SPECIAL REPORT
REPORT
ground (your toes are not on a balance board, at least not yet!).
Your whole body is supported only by your forearms and toes.
Tuck your pelvis, as you did with the running-on-the-
balance-board exertion. This basically means rotating your
pelvic girdle by pushing the lower part of your pelvic area
toward the ground while the upper part of the pelvis rotates
away from the ground. Your hip area doesnt actually come any
closer to the ground (your whole body should be in a fairly
straight line from your toes up to your shoulders).
A. Hold this basic position (body supported only on forearms

and toes, pelvis tucked) for 15 seconds, and then lift your right
leg off the ground and hold it there (roughly parallel with the
ground) for 15 seconds (your body will now be supported by
your two forearms on the balance board and the toes of your
left foot, which are on the ground). Return to the starting
position.
B. Next, lift your left leg in the air and hold it parallel with the
ground for 15 seconds, before returning it to the starting
position. Your body weight will be supported only by your
forearms and the toes of your right foot.
C. Return to the basic starting position, hold it for 15 seconds,

and take a one-minute break. Then, repeats steps A through C.
However, once youve completed the second series, stay in the
basic position, supported on forearms and toes only, for at least
one more minute. Maintain an absolutely straight body posture
for the entire period. Then, complete five to 10 Chinese press-
ups (theyre like regular press-ups, except instead of supporting
your upper body with the palms of your hands, the support is
provided by the forearms on the balance board). Try to keep
your body fairly linear as you move your torso up and down,
bringing your chest down close to the balance board and then
back up to the basic position.
Now, flip over so that your back is facing the ground, and lift
your body off the ground by supporting full body weight with
PAGE 52
only the heels of your feet and your forearms on the balance
board. Once again, try to keep your body in a fairly linear
position, and remember to tuck your pelvis! Follow the same
movement pattern outlined above (lifting first your left leg, and
then the right), using roughly the same time periods. Its also
fun to do more than just lift your appendages. For example, you

Obviously,
the balance-
can bring a knee toward your chest or swing your leg from side board-core-
to side to increase the loading and stress on your core muscles torture activity
and shoulders. does not mimic
The entire sequence outlined above can then be carried out the posture or
with your toes on the balance board and your forearms on the biomechanics
floor. In this case, the toes of your feet would be positioned on of running, but
either side of the centre of the board, and you would raise one it is
arm at a time, rather than one leg. Obviously, the balance- devastatingly
board-core-torture activity does not mimic the posture or
effective at
biomechanics of running, but it is devastatingly effective at
improving your
improving your whole-body strength and coordination. Youll
find it very challenging! whole-body
strength and
Final points coordination.
Here are six essential points about balance-board training: Youll find
it very
(1) Before starting any of the balance-board routines, warm up challenging!
for 10 minutes by performing light jogging, stretching, and
range-of-motion activities for the trunk, low back, hips,
quadriceps, hamstrings, calves, Achilles tendons, shins and feet.
As you carry out the exercises, maintain an upright posture with
your trunk at all times, and use smooth, controlled movements
not out-of-control jerks. Devote the first few weeks of your
balance-board programme to developing coordination and
technique; dont worry about racking up lots of reps. As your
skill at carrying out the exercises improves over time, increase
your movement speed, while maintaining balance and posture.
(2) Remember to perform all balance-board exercises when you

are relatively free from fatigue. For optimal results, balance and
coordination exercises require that the nervous system be fairly
PAGE 53
TENTONITIS SPECIAL
SPECIAL REPORT
REPORT
well rested. Somewhat surprisingly, a fine time to do balance-

board work is immediately prior to a speed workout, since the
balance-board routines seem to wake up the nervous system
and prepare it for intense activity.
(3) Since the action position for all athletic activities, including
running, incorporates a certain amount of knee flexion, rather
than straight legs, be sure to carry out all balance-board
exercises with your knee(s) slightly flexed.
(4) At the very beginning of your balance-board training, if you

are having trouble with coordination, you can stabilise yourself
by placing the toes of the opposite (non-weight bearing) foot
on the ground behind you during any single-leg exercises.
However, do not use your hands for stabilisation, as this largely
defeats the purpose of the balance-board activities.
(5) Its important to remember that you can increase the

difficulty of any balance-board exercise by holding dumbbells
in your hands and by performing the exercises with your eyes
closed. Closing your eyes removes visual cues and particularly
enhances your kinaesthetic sense, ie, your ability to accurately
judge the position of your body in space. This increased
awareness can help you improve your coordination and
efficiency of movement.
(6) Dont begin your balance-board routines until you have

recovered from your sprained ankle (or other injury) and your
doctor has given you his/her OK. Use the balance board
frequently during training to lower the risk of future injury.
Walt Reynolds
PAGE 54
PAGE 55
PAGE 56
ABOVE THE ANKLE
Heres how to get an

injured knee fully
functional once more
The key to making a full recovery from any injury is not just
correct treatment and healing but also re-strengthening and
regaining coordination of the joint and all the movements it is
involved with. Any injury requires a certain amount of time for
treatment and healing, but, once this is complete, dont assume
that you can start full training and competition immediately. If
you are too hasty, the injury is more likely to reoccur.
To bridge the gap between the treatment bench and full
competition, without risking another setback, you have to go
through a planned and progressive rehabilitation training
programme. The aims of this programme are:
(1) to strengthen the muscles involved in the injury to be just

as strong as the unaffected side
(2) to regain full proprioception (joint position sense) in the
injured joint
(3) to regain power and coordination of all sports-specific
movements.
In terms of progression, the programme must start with low-

intensity and low-volume work, gradually increasing so that you
build up to the full intensity and volume required for full
competition performance. This is quite difficult to do, since the
training must be tough enough to have an effect but not so
tough that the injury is aggravated. In addition, it is often
difficult to remember that while the muscles respond quickly
to strength loads, the tendons and ligaments take much longer
PAGE 57
to gain in strength. This is why athletes must sometimes stick

with training loads that feel easy so that the joint will be
significantly tested.
In this article I will suggest a planned progressive
rehabilitation programme for a knee-joint injury. I will assume
that a successful healing period has already been completed,
that most, if not all, mobility has been regained and that some
In the first
phase of rehab
basic strength work has been performed. This is the time that
you may be tempted to go for it, but resist the temptation.
training, you Follow this programme instead and youll find the results bear
must me out.
concentrate on
functional Phase 1 (4-6 weeks)
strength In the first phase of rehab training, you must concentrate on
exercises, functional strength exercises, balance training and regaining
balance aerobic fitness.
training and The knee-strength exercises at this stage must be closed
regaining kinetic chain movements. A CKC exercise involves ankle, knee
aerobic and hip joints, where all the muscles around the knee and

fitness involved in knee stabilisation are recruited, thereby ensuring
the exercises are fully functional. It is generally agreed that
much less benefit is gained from performing isolated
quadriceps exercises since it is important that a hamstring and
quadriceps co-contraction occurs during an exercise, so that the
correct neuromuscular patterns are trained. For this reason,
the squat exercise is chosen as the key knee-strength exercise
because it seems to be one of the best knee exercises for
hamstring/quadriceps co-contraction. In addition, the
hamstrings are a priority for strength development because they
play a crucial role in knee stabilisation, and the hip muscles
must also be trained.
Strength training: two-to-three times a week with

rest days between
Barbell squat. 2-3 x 8-10
The technique for this lift is: feet shoulder-width apart, barbell
across back of the shoulders. Lower down until knee angle is at
PAGE 58
90o. Keep your knees behind the toes. Start with a very light
weight just to retrain the movement. Get someone to make sure
that you weight each leg evenly. As the knee gets stronger,
gradually increase the weight each week.
Terminal CKC knee extensions. 3 x 10

Take a strong piece of flexaband, make a loop and attach it
around a table leg. Place the other side of the loop behind your
injured knee (you may need some padding). Start with your
support leg straight and your working leg slightly bent and up
on the toe. Then pull back on the band, straightening your knee
and flattening your heel down. You should feel the effort
concentrated in the quads. Make sure your body is completely
still. Re-flex your knee and ankle and continue.
Quarter one-legged squats. 3 x 10

This exercise is performed without any extra weight. Stand on
one leg and bend the knee into a shallow squat position.
Straighten up slowly and continue. This exercise is as much for
balance as it is for strength. Keep the hips level and the knee
behind the toes as you squat down. Use your stomach and glutes
to ensure you maintain stability and balance. You may find the
injured side is less coordinated at first; the aim is to ensure that
both sides are performed evenly.
Leg curls. 3 x 10
The standard hamstring isolation exercise, but perform each
leg at a time to make sure the injured side catches up.
Bum lifts. 3 x 10
Lie on the floor on your back, with your knees bent. Lift up your
bum until there is a straight line from knee to shoulders; pause
slightly and then lower down slowly. Surprisingly, this exercise
works the hamstrings and gluteals quite hard. As you get
stronger, bend the knees less and less until you can perform the
movement with straight legs upon a small step. This is a
functional hamstring exercise as it involves trunk extension.
PAGE 59
Hip adduction, extension, adduction. 3 x 10

Use the total hip machine to ensure all the hip muscles get a
good workout.
Trunk exercises
Include the usual exercises for stomach, obliques and low back
to ensure good core stability and strength. Remember, all links
in the kinetic chain are important for injury rehabilitation.
Aerobic training: three-to-five times a week

At this stage you probably havent been able to complete much
aerobic training and so may have lost fitness. Now that your
knee is pain-free and mobile, you can use the stationary exercise
bike with confidence. This would be my main choice for
maintaining aerobic fitness. You may also consider running in
the pool with a weighted belt. Research into the fitness benefits
of pool running for injured athletes has shown that VO2max can
be maintained throughout an injury period with pool workouts,
and practical experience suggests that the legs definitely get a
good workout in the pool!
Balance and coordination training: every day

At this point, it is vital to include some balance and
coordination training in your programme. This component is
often the one that gets ignored, with a very detrimental effect
in the long run.
I would recommend spending a few minutes two or three
times a day on a wobble board (see also the previous article).
You should learn to balance both two-legged and one-legged.
Once you get good at the wobble board, you should be able to
perfect exercises such as catching and throwing a ball while
maintaining balance and mini-squats while maintaining
balance.
Phase 2 (three weeks)

Use the following guidelines to help assess when you are ready
to move into phase 2 training. (i) place even strength between
PAGE 60
injured and uninjured sides in the hamstrings on the leg curl

machine (ii) correct technique and balance during both the
barbell and one-legged squats, combined with some strength
improvement (iii) a good level of skill on the wobble board.
In this phase you will continue regaining strength as above,
but now you can start running again and developing the
coordination of sports-specific movements such as jumping,
landing and cutting, starting with low-impact exercises.
Strength training
Continue with the phase 1 routine, increasing weight gradually
with each exercise. With the one-legged squats, the range of
movement can be increased with a deeper knee bend but only
if the correct balance and technique can be maintained.
Aerobic training
Continue using the bike and the pool as before. However, now
you can try jogging. Start with five minutes only. Take a days
rest and then try a seven-minute jog. If there is no adverse
reaction, continue building up the distance jogged every other
day until you can jog for 21 minutes. If there is a bad reaction,
then drop down the time. Once 21 minutes has been
established, continue at this distance but gradually increase the
speed up to that of normal training.
Balance and coordination training

You need to retrain the neuromuscular coordination of
the dynamic movements involved in sports, beginning with
low-impact movements. The following is a sample
programme.
Mini hops. 3 x 10 each leg building up to 3 x 50 each leg

These can be performed on the ground or on a trampette.
Starting with just a little lift, hop on one leg on the spot. Make
sure you flex the knee on landing and make contact with the
ground with the ball of the foot. Use your abs and glutes to
ensure good stability and posture.
PAGE 61
Lateral double hops. 3 x 8 building up to 3 x 20

With both feet hop from side to side. Use a line or a small object
such as a tennis ball to hop over. Again, make sure you flex the
knee, make contact with the ground with the ball of the foot and
maintain good posture and stability. As you improve, gradually
build up the height of each hop. This drill begins to train the
lateral side movement involved in most sports.
Landing drill. 2 x 8
Stand on a six-inch step. Drop off it and land on the balls of your
feet, flexing your knees to absorb the impact. Step back on the
step and continue. The aim of this exercise is to train the
coordination of landing. You should be able to land accurately,
maintain an upright upper-body stability and quickly absorb the
All the impact with your knees. A good landing should finish with you
elements in the stock still with knees slightly bent and body upright. With time,
gradually increase the step height.
training
programme
should come Mini-squat jumps. 3 x 8
together so that Stand with feet shoulder width apart, squat down to the quarter
you can position and then rapidly jump up, land correctly, squat down
complete a full and jump again. Aim to perform eight squat jumps with good
training landings, smoothly linked together.
routine
Slalom runs
Set up a little slalom course with 4-6 cones. Perform the slalom
run at jogging pace 5-6 times with a brief rest period in between.
In time, gradually increase the speed of the run but no faster
than three-quarter speed at this point.
Phase 3 (two weeks)

This phase should finally bring you back to full fitness. All the
elements in the training programme should come together so
that you can complete a full training routine. You should be able
to perform the barbell squat with correct technique at a full
training weight. You should show complete equality between
sides on exercises such as the leg curl, one-legged squats and
PAGE 62
mini-hops. You should be well coordinated on the wobble

board and at the landing, lateral hopping and jumping
exercises. You should be able to run for at least 20 minutes pain-
free, and have regained full aerobic fitness with the bike and
pool workouts. These final two weeks of rehabilitation training
should include a gradual re-introduction of all the normal
training methods and match play practice.
Strength, coordination and aerobic training

Continue with the above schedules (half a week for each) as a
maintenance training stimulus to ensure the knee remains
strong and coordinated and that you are fully fit.
Plyometric, sprints and agility training

Having developed basic coordination with the low-impact drills
of phase 2, you must now reintroduce the normal plyometric
drills. For example, full-squat jumps, bounds, lateral bounds,
and hurdle hops. In the first workout, you should perform just
one set of each exercise. After a few days rest, try two sets of
each and then three. The plyometric exercises are very
important as they develop the eccentric strength of the
hamstrings and quadriceps and teach these muscles to contract
fast and control the knee joint on impact. The co-contraction
of the hamstrings and the quads that occurs during plyometric
drills is a very beneficial training factor. Remember that, when
reintroducing plyometric drills, it is the quality of technique that
is paramount - the speed or distance can be achieved later.
In addition to this, you must start to reintroduce sprinting at
full speed. For the first sprints workout, I recommend
performing only six 30m runs with a rolling start at three-quarter
speed. After a few rest days, try six 30m runs with a rolling start
at full speed. If that is OK, progress to six 60m runs with a rolling
start and then finally to 60m efforts from a standing start.
Agility drills should also be included at this stage. Lateral
runs, shuffles, slaloms, cutting and side-stepping must all be
performed. Again, start at jogging speed only and then progress
gradually to full-out efforts.
PAGE 63
Matchplay
You must also start to model the competition situation. If youre
a games player, eg, tennis/rugby, you should begin with a small
period of a non-contact game. If youre a track and field athlete,
begin with a few throws or jumps or some below-distance race
pace efforts. Again, gradually build things up in terms of time
and intensity.
Although waiting this long after an injury before starting to
play again may seem excessively cautious, it should also instill
confidence from the fact that you should suffer no setbacks. By
this stage in the rehab process, you should be fully strong and
agile with a good level of aerobic fitness, and be feeling that you
are not too far from being able to play again. Your patience will
pay off, since having done all the correct rehab training you will
have ensured that the injury is fully healed and wont recur.
Over the whole rehab period, you will need psychological help
from your physiotherapist, fitness trainer and coach. Goal-
setting at each phase of the rehab process is a good idea so you
are clear about what you need to achieve and why you are doing
all this training instead of just getting out there and playing.
Raphael Brandon
PAGE 64
PAGE 65
PAGE 66
WHAT THE PAPERS SAY
Having a short Achilles tendon

may be an athletes Achilles heel
Clever runners are always trying to improve their running econo-
my (the rate at which oxygen is used to run at a particular pace),
because better economy (lower oxygen consumption) almost
always translates into better race times and lower perceptions of
effort during quality running.
For years, exercise physiologists have believed that the key ways
to upgrade economy involve (1) doing intervals on the track at
faster-than-race speeds, and (2) carrying out lots of hill training,
which includes running up hills at about race pace with regular run-
ning form and also bounding up steep inclines with exaggerated
knee lifts. The theory is that the fast intervals and hill running boost
leg-muscle power. Improved power then makes it possible to
recruit fewer muscle fibres while running at quality speeds. The
lower recruitment diminishes oxygen consumption (heightens
economy). In addition, many physiologists speculate that the vig-
orous intervals and hill training also improve neuromuscular coor-
dination during running, leading to fewer wasteful body movements
and lower oxygen usage.
Runners who do a lot of work on hills and carry out frequent
race-speed intervals do have better economy than runners who
train differently, but researchers at the Laboratory for Functional
Anatomy and Biomechanics at the University of Copenhagen in
Denmark have recently identified two key anatomical factors which
can account for differences in economy between runners, too.
These two factors are Achilles-tendon length and Achilles-tendon
area. Basically, the longer and slimmer the Achilles tendon, the
more economical is the runner, say the Danish researchers.
Its the elastic energy return

The Danes had previously noticed that economy can be nearly
doubled in humans just by improving the elastic energy return of
PAGE 67
the tendons in the legs. To understand elastic energy return, think

about what happens to the Achilles tendons during running. As one
of your feet swings forward prior to foot-strike, the Achilles tendon
attached to that foot is stretched out greatly. As your foot hits the
ground and you roll forward over the ball of your foot just prior to
toe-off, your stretched Achilles tendon recoils (shortens), just as
an extended rubber band snaps back into a shorter configuration
when it is released.
This recoil of your Achilles tendon is good, because it pulls up on
your heel and helps you pitch forward onto your toe for toe-off. Best
of all, it doesnt cost you anything in terms of energy or oxygen.
The energy comes from stored energy, put into the Achilles tendon
when it was stretched prior to foot-strike. In other words, your poor,
abused calf muscles dont have to use up glycogen or gobble up
oxygen in order to get you into a powerful toe-off position. That
makes you more economical! Because your Achilles tendons are
good at returning energy, youre a better, more efficient runner.
It follows that if your Achilles tendons get even better at return-
ing energy, your economy should improve and your race times
should slim down too. But what separates great Achilles tendons
from shabby ones? To find out, the Danes studied a group of young
athletes and found that if an athlete has Achilles tendons which
are about 10% shorter than average, mechanical efficiency (econ-
omy) is hurt by about 6%. On the other hand, if the Achilles ten-
dons are 1% longer than average, economy is enhanced by 8%!
Longer tendons can be stretched more

Why would this be true? Longer Achilles tendons can be stretched
to a greater extent than short tendons. The greater the length of a
stretched Achilles tendon, the greater the force it can apply to the
foot when it snaps back. The greater the force, the lower the
reliance on glycogen and oxygen and the better the economy.
The Copenhagen researchers also noted that thick Achilles ten-
dons were bad for economy, although the effects werent quite as
pronounced: thickening the Achilles tendons by 10% harmed
economy by about 4%, for example, while thinning the strange
things assisted economy by 3%.
PAGE 68
Is Achilles tendon length set at birth? If so, running economy would

at least be partially genetically determined. Observations of lite
Kenyan distance runners currently the best in the world reveal that
they tend to have very long, very slim Achilles tendons, while runners
from other parts of the world are more likely to come from the short
and broad Achilles tendon factory. The Kenyans are also extremely
economical. In fact, they often possess a rare mix of physiological
attributes great economy and superb aerobic capacity which is
rarely seen in endurance athletes (usually, an individual with superior
aerobic capacity will be mediocre in economy, and vice-versa).
Is it the hill running?

However, that doesnt tell us a thing about genetics, because the
Kenyans spend a lifetime running up and down hills and gambolling
along on the soft, red-dirt trails of Kenya. Running uphill puts
tremendous stretch and pressure on the Achilles tendons, because
each footfall allows the heel to descend to a level lower than the
rest of the foot, elongating the Achilles tendon dramatically.
Likewise, running on soft dirt permits the heels to gouge out little
foxholes on each footstrike. This foot-in-foxhole phenomenon also
elongates the Achilles tendons mercilessly. It could be that the con-
stant hill and dirt-trail efforts not the genetic endowment from
mum and dad lead to the greater length and stretchiness of the
Kenyans Achilles tendons, and thus their incomparable economy.
Whatever the reason for the Kenyans efficiency, the lesson for
runners is clear: stretch out those Achilles tendons! The more elas-
tic they become, the more powerfully you will run. And the way to
extend them is to run on hills, train on dirt trails, stride on soft
ground in bare feet, and stretch them carefully but thoroughly after
your workouts are over, when your Achilles tendons are warm and
distensible.
Reference
(Influence of Achilles Tendon Variables on Mechanical Efficiency,
Paper Presented at the Second Symposium of the International
Society of Biomechanics Working Group on Functional Footwear,
June 1995, Cologne, Germany)
PAGE 69

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ACHILLES

A SPECIAL REPORT FROM

PEAK The research newsletter on

Green Star Media Ltd 2014

Published by Green Star Media Ltd, Meadow View,

Telephone: +44 (0)1483 892894

Publisher Jonathan A. Pye

The information contained in this publication is believed to be correct at the time of

DYNAMIC STRENGTH TRAINING FOR SWIMMERS

Page 27 TECHNICALLY SPEAKING: Heres a further look at

Page 35 STRENGTHENING PROGRAMME: Achilles tendinitis is

Page 43 ANKLE STRENGTHENING: Weak ankles are a key factor

Page 57 ABOVE THE ANKLE: Heres how to get an injured knee

Page 67 WHAT THE PAPERS SAY: Having a short Achilles tendon

M Achilles tendon is, apart from being a stretchy bit of

The report has been prepared by the Peak Performance team of

Strong ankles are one of the key factors in preventing Achilles

I hope you enjoy this special report and find it useful.

We look at the causes of

Was it excessive pronation?

Based on these studies and opinions, explanations of what

...or repeated eccentric contractions?

of running training. 31 runners were diagnosed by a specialist

Q angle and Arch Index

...rear foot motion...

...and the stance phase

So what did McCrory and her team find out?

The Arch Index of the two groups of runners was

The major findings

risk of suffering injuries such as Achilles tendinitis because they

Ankle muscle strength is important

Last, but not least, pronation

a whole host of factors, a greater degree of rear-foot pronation and

The best exercises to follow

First, a sideways glance at biomechanics

between heel and fore foot.

Now the rear view

A weak link in the chain?

The exact opposite

Why the knee and ankle dont collapse

the swing-leg-side of the hip from dropping laterally, as

What happens in the push-off phase

How biomechanical problems can affect the

Excessive whipping of the Achilles

Even the hip comes into it

Beneficial exercises for the Achilles

Heel drop and calf raise

One-leg knee bends

work during running.

Dynamic one-leg knee bends

Dynamic ankle jogging

Heres a further look at

results in tendinopathy. In one study, however, 31% of 58

undertaken by a specialist musculoskeletal radiologist has

Treatment: non operative

If symptoms are severe and unresponsive to the conservative

The Achilles tendon should be explored, partial tears

rupture. The theory is that corticosteroid decreases the

4. American Journal of Sports Medicine, 6 (2), pp40-50, 1978

Achilles tendinitis is the