Question

How can I recover from Tendonitis in my foot faster, and what should I be doing to keep fit whilst recovering?
Happy running

Matthew Howell

Answer
Hi Matt,
It’s a difficult question to answer as I would need to know specifics of what tendon was involved.
I would always advice seeing a sports physiotherapist specialising in running injuries. They would be able to find the root cause of this tendon pain. Its one thing to allow the pain to settle but it’s very likely the pain would return unless the faults were addressed. Frequently there are issues with the way someone is running or muscle imbalances that would need to be corrected to allow full resolution. This will take time and patience from your behalf as often you need to return to basics, strengthening the foundations before building back up again.

Looking more locally, tendons are unfortunately slow healers as their blood supply is quite limited so rest is important to avoid further aggrivation. Hopefully you won’t get too bored though as this is a good time to start the exercises the physio would have shown you. To keep fit cycling should be ok and possibly rowing but it all depends on the site of the tendon injury. As a rule as long as your ankle remains relatively still during the movement it shouldn’t become too irritated.

Good Luck