Talking Tendonitis: From a Patient’s Point of View

Tom Weber, M.D., Advanced Healthcare

Posted: Sept. 1, 2004

Bob Schuelke brings a unique perspective to the gambler’s cry, “Daddy needs a new pair of shoes”.

In fact, it was only last November that the 58-year old avid runner bet against that very idea, and lost - with painful results.

“I have a pronounced heel strike on my left heel when it hits the pavement,” Schuelke explains. “So consequently my running shoes tend to wear out more than most people. I was running pretty good and thought that I could go for another week or two without changing my shoes. It didn’t work.”

"Dr. Weber explained to me that in the Achilles area, there is very little blood flow, so it takes a long time to heal." Bob Schuelke, Achilles tendonitis patient

Schuelke was in the middle of a typical Saturday morning jog around the YMCA in his hometown of Menomonee Falls when a sudden, sharp pain literally stopped him in his tracks. He says that’s when the real journey began.

“It was a burning in my left Achilles heel. I walked a little and tried to deny that it happened. Then I tried running a little, and quickly realized I was going nowhere fast. I was out about two miles of a four-mile run, so it was a long way back.”

Schuelke knew he had strained his Achilles tendon, but he didn’t realize just how bad it was until he tried to get better.

After ice, rest, anti-inflammatory medicine and more than five weeks of taking it easy, this triathlete-in-training who, in addition to biking and swimming, was also used to running up to 25 miles a week, still couldn’t go more than a few steps without a return to the searing pain that stopped him in the first place.

That’s when Schuelke’s family physician referred him to Tom Weber, M.D., an Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Specialist with Advanced Healthcare.

“He was very personable and easy to work with,” Schuelke recalls. “Through my history, previous test results, and a thorough examination, he knew we were dealing with a very severe case of Achilles tendonitis. Dr. Weber explained to me that in the Achilles area, there is very little blood flow, so it takes a long time to heal.”

Achilles tendonitis is the swelling and inflammation of the tendon in the back of the ankle that connects the muscles to the heel bone. It enables us to walk, jump and run. The two most common causes of the “overuse” injury are inflexibility of the tendon and overpronation. Another factor is a recent change in footwear, which ironically would have helped Bob Schuelke avoid the condition.

However, one of the biggest causes of the condition for long-distance runners is a change in training schedule. Symptoms of Achilles tendonitis often occur when runners increase their mileage or increase the amount of hill training. Just before his injury, Schuelke says he had started running farther in order to get in shape for Milwaukee’s Lake Front Marathon in October.

Dr. Weber prescribed a removable boot to immobilize the foot, physical therapy to help stretch the Achilles and keep it flexible, and a long period of rest followed by a slow break-in period.

After five more weeks, Schuelke could feel himself healing.

“Now I’m back to where I was in November,” he says. “I’m not doing the long runs yet, but I expect to. I needed a specialist, and you just don’t realize how important that kind of insight is until you go through something like this. Dr. Weber helped me a lot. I’m taking it slow, increasing my distance by about ten percent a week. And now I check my shoes everyday!”

The marathon man is back.

We Have Answers Do you have medical questions or need help finding a doctor? The experts at Columbia St. Mary's and Advanced Healthcare can help. Click here.