Check Up

Before school today I climbed on my bike and headed to the doctor. Today is the chilliest this year. There's a real nip in the air today, and a number of students and teachers are sniffing and coughing now.

My visit to the doctor was for two reasons, as I explained to him:
First, can he diagnose Achilles Tendonitus?
Second, could he do a broad spectrum blood test.

He said I needed to go to a podiatrist because my syndrome is far too specialised. I asked him if he knew about the Thompson Test, and he said he'd heard of it. The internet is an incredible tool for a patient who is investigating a potential condition. It doesn't replace a doctor, necessarily, but it can provide a lot of support.
I also wanted a blood test, once again checking for the presence of anything from HIV to Hepatitus. The results will be out tomorrow at 14:00, minus W30 000.

I must go to a podiatrist asap when I am in South Africa. My foot really hurt a lot today. I really noticed it, especially going down steps.
I have checked the web again and the treatment is a minimum of 4 weeks off the leg, aswell as RICE:

- rest the tendon by keeping off their feet as much as possible;
- apply ice packs for 20 minutes at a time every hour for a day or two to reduce swelling;
- compress the ankle and foot with a firmly (not tightly) wrapped elastic bandage; and
- elevate the foot whenever possible to minimize swelling

Prevention

Proper conditioning and appropriate footwear are the best defense against Achilles tendonitis. People who engage in physical activity should always warm up (e.g., jumping jacks, light jogging) and stretch properly before beginning the activity. Cold muscles are inflexible and working them hard without stretching causes excessive stress to the muscles and tendons.

(from: http://www.podiatrychannel.com/achillestendinitis/
diagnosis.shtml#treatment)

I also think the injury could have been precipitated by a sprint I did weeks and weeks ago against Jan - where Jan was rollerblading, and I went sprinting up an incline. I was warmed up, but the sprint was an maximal effort, and I haven't done one of those in a while. My instincts tell me that is the time and place that lead to the onset of the injury.

I was injury free, after all, leading up to the Ironman, and afterwards. The injury coincided also with the use of the soft and new Nike shoes. Since I got sick virtually the day I bought them, I never got to train in them until I was healthy. Once healthy, each session possibly brought me closer to manisfesting this present condition.

I think my foot was still fine when I did the Terry Fox run. That ran was about 6 weeks after the Ironman, and in that time I had virtually not run more than 3 times in 6 weeks. That 10km run may also have contributed to the sudden straining of the tendon.
These are quite a demoralising thoughts, but on the positive side, at least I identified the problem sooner rather than later.