I hurt my Achilles tendon while trying on an old pair of pointe shoes. How can I speed the recovery process?

Question

First of all, I know you aren't supposed to do pointe outside of class. I'm old as dirt so I know this and wasn't actually on pointe.

I tried on an old pair of Grishko 2007s (bought when the 2007 first came out) that had become too small. They were perfectly broken in - better than my newer pair and I wanted to see what my arch looked like in them. I put them on and did a révélé w/out going on pointe and the back of the shoe dug into my tendon. That was all I did and I stopped immediately. This happened yesterday afternoon.

It hurts to walk across the house but I can't just lie around because I have children. I am also freaking out because I'm a runner and I will go stir-crazy until I can start running again.

So what will work, if anything, to speed up the recovery process besides rest? Thanks.

Answer 1

"Rest" does not always mean bed rest. You should relatively rest your Achilles tendon which means no running, no releve, make sure when you go up and down stairs that you put your heel down (not on toes). Wear sneakers or a shoe with a small heel to decrease the stress on the Achilles tendon.

When you have time, you should put ice on the Achilles for 15-20 minutes and you can do this throughout the day. Ibprofren or naproxen will help decrease inflammation. If pain persists more than a few days, see a physician. Unfortunately the Achilles has poor blood supply and typically can take longer to heal than a normal tendon.

Answer 2

Despite your need to be active, the more you can rest and keep the leg propped up, the sooner you will be better. I speak from unfortunate experience; I tore my Achilles tendon about 2 years back simply walking down the steps! I will tell you what my doctor told me: stay away from aspirin and ibuprofen as much as possible, as this can exacerbate bleeding from the torn tendon; drink plenty of clear liquid to help the body "clean out" the blood that has already pooled in the leg (especially if you have a bruise like I did!); stay off the foot/leg as much as possible; when you must walk, use a support such as a cane (not particularly fun, but a lot better than a crutch, at least in my opinion). Tylenol may help if you're hurting; warmth may help as well, as it relaxes the leg, but don't overdo it and get the bleeding started again.