Achilles Tendon Stretching
Don't Do It!
Achilles Tendon Stretching is a bad idea, for a variety of reasons.Maybe you're doctor or physical therapist told you to stretch your Achilles Tendon because it is 'too tight'. Maybe you read advice online that you should stretch your Achilles Tendon if you have Achilles Tendonitis or Achilles Tendonosis. Personally, I wouldn't.
Achilles Tendon Stretching
Do You Need To Stretch Your Achilles Tendon?
Nope. You don't need to, and you don't want to stretch your Achilles Tendon.Your Achilles Tendon doesn't get 'tight'. It get's 'taut'. It's not just a semantic difference. Conceptually it makes a difference for you if you want to get out of pain.
First off, tendons aren't stretchy. You DON'T want your Achiles Tendon, any tendon, to stretch. When a tendon or ligament stretches, it's doesn't shrink back.
And really, the tendon isn't the problem. Even if it does appear to be tight, it gets tight for a reason. The reason is the real problem. We'll get to that.
Achilles Tendon Stretching
Why Did My Doctor Say It's Tight?Go ahead and ask your doctor and/or your PT WHY they're saying that the tendon is tight. The -only- correct answer is: "Because the muscles and connective tissue connected to the Achilles Tendon are TOO TIGHT and are pulling on the tendon, making it taut. Tendons themselves aren't 'tight' or 'loose'. A tendon is a chunk of dense connective tissue. One end attaches to bone. The other end attaches to muscle. If the muscle contracts, it bunches together, and that pulls on the tendon. Bungie cords stretch. Tendons don't. And if they do, they don't stretch back. Point being, your Achilles tendon has a very small range of motion. Said another way, it has very limited contractibility. So it's like a rope tied to a tree. If you pull on the rope, it gets taut. If you pull harder, it gets more taut as more force is applied. But in this example, you are the muscle and the rope is the tendon. To repeat myself, muscles get tight. Tendons don't. They get pulled around by the muscles.
If the muscle is totally loose, the tendon is neutral. The more a muscle contracts, the more tension is added, pulling on the tendon.
If your muscle is too tight 24/7, that means the tendon has too much tension on it 24/7. -THAT'S- ultimately what causes Achilles Tendonitis and Achilles Tendonosis.
Achilles Tendon Stretching
So...What's Causing My Tendon Pain?
Symptoms of Tendonitis show up for a variety.Specifically for Achilles Tendonitis symptoms, you DO feel that pain on the tendon. But unfortunately that's just where the pain ends up. It's not the CAUSE. The CAUSE of your pain is, essentially, the muscles and connective tissue of your lower leg are TOO TIGHT. This sets up a Pain Causing Dynamic which includes a Process of Inflammation that releases pain enhancing chemical. Achilles Tendonitis, like all tendonitis, follows a very predictable pattern and is made up of a set set of variables. Lengthening your muscle and connective tissue is a GOOD thing. Stretching your Achilles Tendon is a BAD thing.
Achilles Tendon Stretching
So If I Shouldn't Stretch, What -Should- I Do?
Achilles Tendon Stretching is at worst a dangerous activity, and at best, it will potentially irritate your ongoing symptoms by irritating the mechanism of your pain dynamic.It might help a little bit, maybe even a lot, because muscle will get stretched too, but ultimately it's going to aggravate things more than help. Did you stretch and that fixed your problem? I didn't think so. So if you've been told to stretch your tight tendons, you should ask, "How do I stretch my Achilles Tendon?" I say, "You don't." You ask, "Then what should I do?" To which I reply, "You LENGTHEN your muscle and connective tissue structures in your lower leg." To which you look befuddled and ask, "Uh huh. And how do I do that?" Great question! I'll tell you on the The Truth About Eccentric Heel Drops page.
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