Marathon Training and Sore Achilles Heel (No pain while running)

I want to make sure to prevent something bad (like some of the things I've read).  I am training for the NY Marathon now and it's about 2 months away.  I have had runner's knee before and so as a preventative have gone to the doctor who cured me (using ART, active release therapy) every other week.  My knees are pretty much symptom free as a result.

He is a tri-athlete chiro focused on runners/athletes and just does some preventative deep massages and ART.  My knee sometimes has a little feel but is pretty much in very good shape because of this.  My mileage is between 30 and 35 miles a week and I have built up over 2 months.  I run 4 days a week for training.  I ran 5.5 miles yesterday and getting out of bed today, I didn't notice any feeling.  If I twist my ankle around then I notice some tenderness - otherwise I can walk fine. I do also find it is more comfortable to wear shoes that are not totally flat.

I have some soreness however in my achilles and maybe I noticed about a month ago. It is sore when I get out of bed and otherwise not really a problem.  I am going to speak to him about it when I see him tomorrow (I didn't think it was a problem till more recently and reading these forums).  I run with no pain and there are no lumps on the tendon now. I already have orthotics which may also help me.  I do wear the orthotics with a stability shoe (for mild overpronation), is this over doing it? I'm also wondering if this combo could be a factor?

It seems this is a somewhat early stage that I'm catching it.  Does it seem like this is something I might be able to treat and still run?  What has been your experience?

[Michael L Gross, MD]

Insertional achilles tendonitis, pain where the achilles attaches, is common in runners and can be quite debilitating if it is not dealt with early.  In fact, several years ago I have had surgery myself for this problem, and just yesterday I operated on one. Early intervention is key to avoiding problems down the road.

[girlygirl77]

Thanks for the response.  I hope to reverse it because it is at an early stage.  Is there a particular course of treatment you favor when it is at the early stage (I think that is my case)?  Thanks ahead of time. I have a stand appt with my dr today as I've seen him every 2 wks or so since I've started training as a preventative measure.