achilles

[SFB2b]

ok, so here's the deal. about 3 years ago i got achilles tendonitis for the first time. i was 10, only dancing 3 two hour classes a week, and not on pointe. i saw a doctor, sat out of class for a week or two and then i went to greece so i had a 3 or 4 week break from ballet to heal. that was in february of 2001.

 

in september of 2001 i started pointe. in february of 2002 i had tendonitis again. i stopped doing pointe and jumps. i went to physical therapy from about april until july, a good four months. the physical therapy mainly consisted of a whole lot of nothing... the only thing i remember doing was getting a series of ultrasounds that were basically innefective. i went to a doctor that suggested i get cast boots on both my ankles. i did not return to that doctor. by the end of july i stopped going to physcial therapy and instead went to pilates sessions that were focused on the rehab of my achilles tendons. pilates helped a lot, i got a lot stronger. i started jumps in september and pointe in october. i still go to the same pilates weekly sessions, but now i do more things for the rest of my body instead of spending the majority of time on my ankles. after getting back into the groove of things, i started improving rapidly in ballet, and i still am.

 

the only thing is, the pain never really stopped. its not that painful, my tendons only burn after a long petite allegro or a hard pointe combination. i have a high tolerance for pain, and i can stand it. but still, there isn't a day that goes by that my tendons dont hurt a little, and its starting to annoy me. i dont think it really hinders my dancing or progress that much, but still i would like it to go away. is there anything i can do?

 

i'm sorry that got so long...

[Mel Johnson]

Sounds like you've got a "growling achilles' tendon" like some people have a "growling appendix". It's a sign that something's gonna happen sometime, but right now it isn't bad enough to take major corrective action, like surgery. Keep an instant cold-pack or two in your dance bag, and use them as needed.

[dancemaven]

Oops! an adult dancer posted in the Young Dancers' Forum by mistake and a post was removed.

[DancingSquirrel]

I've had achilles tendonitus before too--and believe me, I know it's awful. I used a bunch of homeopathic cremes, and ice about twice a day. I usually stick my foot in a bucket of cold water with several handfuls of ice. It works ten times better than just regular ice. All of luck to you!

[Victoria Leigh]

DancingSquirrel, this topic, and it's last post was over 8 years ago! The only reason is appeared is because someone posted by mistake and a moderator removed the post. There are far newer topics on Achilles Tendon issues, and a lot more information. I'm going to close this one.