Achilles Tendonitis

This may pertain to some skiers, but I would like to address a problem very common to snowboarders everywhere. Have you ever noticed a sore and extra tight feeling in your Achilles tendon? When riding you are always in a forward motion stance, which puts demand on the Achilles area by stretching it and requiring strength at the same time. Without doing some light exercises and light stretching fairly often, you will begin to notice the problem.

If you currently have this symptom try the following and you should get better. As always, consult your physician if problems persist too long. The tibia muscles (front of the leg under the knee known as the “shin”) also need to be strong to take some of the brunt of such demands when on the mountain. Skiers have a little advantage over us riders, because they have very stiff boots, which do not allow the Achilles to get stretched as much.

For tibia strengthening, stand with your back against the wall and your feet about 16 inches from the wall. Raise your toes as high as you can, keeping your heels on the floor and your back against the wall. Do this for 20-25 repetitions every other day at least. Next stand on a set of stairs and hang one heel over the edge so that foot is half on and half off the step. Let your heel drop downward towards the next step to create a stretch in the Achilles area. Hold for about 20-30 seconds. Repeat several times. The last thing you may want to try in plain old circles with your foot. Just hold your leg out so your foot does not touch the floor and rotate it in as big of a circle as you can. This creates a full range of motion movement while getting some stretching and strength from it.

Good luck!

Chris Kaiser
Nationally Certified Strength and Conditioning Instructor
cbkexercise@worldnet.att.net