Tendon artheritis

imported
#1

What causes creaky joints? I had to walk to work several days in a row last week due to sick-car-itis, AND NOW MY LEFT ANKLE IS ACTUALLY CREAKING! Here are some possibly helpful facts:

It is 9 1/2mi. one way.
I normally do this once every 2wks. or so any way.
I have a run-around-all-day-long-on-concrete job.

I had no pain the 4 days in a row walking last week, but when I got my car back on day 5 there was stiffness that turned into PAIN.

The PAIN has subsided but now when I flex my foot the Archillies? tendon creaks so much you can feel the vibration in my heel.

When I thu-hiked In '05 I had no foot problems other then a few blisters and have had no other problems b4 this.

So I know the “cause” was the repeated blacktop
pounding + 9hour work day which makes no luv for the feet, but what is the actual cause of the residual creak? What did i tear/strain/overextend and how is/will it repair it’s self? Is there some stretch I should have done on day 5 and/or now? Also this is ONLY
my left ankle, the right one was/is fine.

DR. Help

#2

I’m no doc. I just talked to a friend a few minutes ago about this same thing, he called it crepitus, but I think that usually refers to broken bones. I’ve had something similar in my achilles before. Maybe it’s swollen like mine was. Mine felt like it grew a pebble.

Unfortunately, from what I do know about tendons, they take a long time to heal due to very low blood flow, maybe 18 months, depending on your age and overall health.

I would treat with RICE: rest, ice, compression, elevation. My chiro gave me a portable electric stimulation unit for a sprained ankle once, pretty cool, and gave me lots of details on using ice effectively. My achilles took several months to heal, but I was in my 30s and in very good health. The sprain I got in '03 I still feel once in a while.

Good luck, be patient, get medical help if you can afford it. Chiropractors can help and they’re usually cheaper.

Garlic

#3

I’ve felt your pain. If you do indeed have tendonitis, treat it by alternating cold and heat directly where the pain is - 20 minutes with an ice pack followed immediately by 20 minutes with a hot pack. Do this 4 times a day, if possible. The ice will reduce the swelling (the major impediment to healing) and the heat will bring healthy new blood to the tissue and facilitate carrying the old toxin infested blood away. Keep your weight off it as much as possible, but if you must walk wear an elastic brace and minimize flexing the joint that attaches to the injured tendon. Don’t return to your regular routine until you can walk 100 yards pain free - usually about a week if you’ve been diligent about resting. To prevent this injury in the future, get religious about stretching. Tendons are weaker than muscles and the suckers don’t stretch! Therefore if the muscles are tight, and something needs to “give”, it’s usually the tendon. To protect your achilles tendons, stretch your hamstrings first, and then your calf muscles. Doing this will absolutely prevent achilles tendonitis. Guaranteed! But caution! Do NOT stretch when you have tendon pain. Good luck!

Zachsdad