Dancers often have problems with their Achilles tendon, which is an injury that is not well understood in many dance circles. Before you try this programme, it's important to rule out other things that could be causing your pain in the back of your ankle. Talk to a sports doctor or physiotherapist/physical therapist first. There is an extra bone at the back of the ankle called a "os Trigonum," and a syndrome called "Posterior Impingement" can also cause pain behind the ankle.
If you do have a problem with your Achilles Tendon, it's best to start treatment early, but it may still take a while to get better (sometimes in excess of three months) If you've had Achilles tendonitis for a long time, you might need a rehabilitation programme that lasts up to six months. This is because it usually has been going on for a long time and is caused by weaknesses or imbalances in many different areas. To fully recover, it is important to fix all of these areas.
The most important things for a successful recovery from Achilles tendonopathy are;
Early diagnosis and RICE treatment can stop damage from getting worse.
A programme for building strength in a circle (described below)
Correction of any risk factors, like tight muscles, weakness, or unusual patterns of movement
Program for Core Strengthening
The right way to move on to functional activities and sports-specific rehab.
If you go to a therapist, they may use massage and other techniques to make sure that all the bones in your feet are moving the right way. This is very important because the foot stiffness may have been one of the main reasons why the injury happened in the first place.
Eccentric exercises are those in which the muscle contracts as it gets longer. This sounds strange, but it could happen! Several studies have shown that these exercises are the best way to fix problems with the Achilles. However, if they are done incorrectly or too much, they can cause damage. You should always start with a good warm-up and slowly get into the exercise. But it is normal to feel some pain when you start the strengthening programme and each time you add more weight. You shouldn't move on to the next exercise until the last one doesn't hurt during or after you do it, and a qualified medical professional tells you to do so. After you do these stretches, you should always put ice on the area.
Eccentric Exercises.
Bilateral heel drop. In a demi-pointe position, put your feet on the edge of a step (use a barre for support). Slowly bring your heels down below where the step is. Do this three times, 15 times, twice a day. Make sure your feet and arches are always in a good position. Go for it! Don't try to get up from the low position. but put your feet back where they were at the beginning. If the injury is in the calf, doing rises may make it worse. Do some sets with straight knees and some with bent knees to focus more on the deep calf muscles (Soleus) Putting more weight on the injured leg will help it heal faster. Single leg heel drop. Both feet should rise to demi pointe on the edge of the step. Shift your weight to the other foot and slowly lower the heel of that foot until it is below the edge of the step. Add weights
Note: Ice should always be used after working out.
As with any overuse injury, it is important to fix the things that made the injury more likely to happen. There are a few things that any medical supervisor should be looking at: Tightness in the calf muscles in general Less movement at the ankle or midfoot joints Control of the muscles in the arch and the small toe (see The Perfect Pointe Book! A stable pelvis Abdominal control
The way back to activity should be slow. Most of the time, you can dance again when any sensitivity to touch has gone away. Until then, it's best to do a "Floor Barre" to avoid putting extra stress on the tendons while keeping your strength and mobility up. Pilates and other exercises will help you get back to full dancing faster and keep you from getting too weak. On returning to activity, a small heel raise may be used to make the Achilles tendon less stressed (in both shoes).
