Achilles Tendinopathy Question

[DMC85]

I recently developed achilles tendinopathy. the cause was likely a mixture of possibly being too heavy and almost suddenly going from doing little to no cardio to flat out sprinting as fast as i can in practice and games for a sport i play. i also suspected the footwear i was wearing also. its been bothering me for a couple of weeks now and even walking around for a long duration causes them to get sore.

i understand that you dont completely rest with this type of activity and continue doing what you can as long as it doesnt lead to pain.

i have resigned myself to the fact that i cant sprint until this injury heals but is it risky to squat or deadlift heavy with this injury? i really dont want to stop but dont want an achilles rupture either ofc.

[Mark Rippetoe]

Achilles tendons do not rupture during slow movements like squats and deadlifts, but during dynamic loading like jumps and sprints. Does the sport you play hold practice enough to get better at it? If so, it's enough conditioning that you don't need to suddenly feel compelled to start all-out sprints.

[DMC85]

i pretty much have to sprint to get to the ball in games. well as fast as i can sprint as a 36 year old!

thats good to know. can continue with my lifting at least.

[Will Morris]

Funny. I can run almost as fast at 40 years old as I did when I was 28 years old. Dynamic loading with a rotational component is what tears Achilles Tendons. Sprinting with cutting, golf swings, baseball swings....heavy slow resistance training is the "go to" intervention to rehab tendinopathy.