[pct-l] Achilles Tendon

[ambery-80243 at mypacks.net]

I agree with Diane.  I've had Achilles tendon problems on and off for years; it's never going away.  But since 2006 I've been hiking 400 to 700 mile stretches of trail every summer.  Start slow in the morning when your tendon is cold and let it warm up.  Keep the weight you're carrying as low as possible.  When it hurts, take it easy and don't push too hard or go too fast. With the right insole and shoe system, there is no reason you should have to give up on the dream.  

-----Original Message-----
>From: Diane Soini of Santa Barbara Hikes <diane at santabarbarahikes.com>
>Sent: Jan 2, 2012 10:35 AM
>To: pct-l at backcountry.net
>Subject: Re: [pct-l] Achilles Tendon
>
>If you don't want to put your hike off to try and heal your tendon  
>you CAN realistically thru-hike with a sore achilles tendon. I did.  
>It's still sore though. Probably always will be.
>
>Diane
>
>On Jan 2, 2012, at 10:00 AM, pct-l-request at backcountry.net wrote:
>>
>> Hey everyone,  I'm still battling an Achilles Tendon strain and as
>> Departure Day approaches ( May 1, 2012 tentative ) I'm becoming  
>> more and
>> more discouraged and hesitant to embark on a 2650 mile walk. I've  
>> gotten
>> conflicting advice from all sides, doctors included, and am  
>> throwing my
>> hands up in the air in frustration. Some say rest and do nothing,  
>> others
>> say stretch and exercise. I've done both and both seems to minimize  
>> the
>> soreness but has not eliminated the problem. Can I realistically do a
>> thru-hike with a sore achilles tendon? Or am I doomed to never  
>> realize a
>> dream I have to thru-hike the PCT. I'm tempted to just say the hell  
>> with it
>> and push ahead and do the hike, but I don't want to bail out and  
>> end up
>> with a lame foot. Any experiences?  Please help. Thanks,   Mark
>
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