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Physical Therapy     Personal Fitness Training     Golf & Triathlon Performance     Massage & Wellness
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 May 24, 2013      
Happy Friday!
SteveandTylerHamilton
  Steve Kurczewski with former pro cyclist, Tyler Hamilton         

  

Welcome to the *official* start of summer!  What's on your agenda for the long weekend?  Whatever your plans, I hope you'll be spending time with your favorite people!  

   

Pictured above is Steve Kurczewski after a ride through Greenwich with former pro cyclist, Tyler Hamilton.  Tyler is a former Olympic gold medalist and was once one of the world's top-ranked cyclists - and a member of Lance Armstrong's inner circle.  He's also the author of  The Secret Race, a book that rocked the world of professional cycling - and exposed the doping culture surrounding the sport and its most iconic rider, Lance Armstrong.  Many thanks to our friends over at Signature Cycle for inviting Steve to participate in this intimate event.   

 

With Father's Day just around the corner, we've put together a very special FATHER'S DAY "Golf Performance & Wellness" Package that any golfer would love! (Scroll down to the bottom of this page for details.)  

 

A quick reminder that our administrative offices will be closed tomorrow, Saturday May 25th and Monday May 27th in honor of Memorial Day holiday.    

       

 

Cheers to enjoying the three-day weekend,  

 

 
Connie Scholl Kurczewski
Director of Operations & Business Development

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Physical Therapy
Certified Functional Manual Therapy
Achilles Tendinitis
Q & A with Dave Potucek, MSPT, CFMT
    

What exactly is Achilles Tendinitis?

 

Achilles tendinitis is an overuse injury of the tendon that connects the back of your leg to your heel.

 

The Achilles tendon is the thick, strong tendon at the back of the ankle connecting the gastrocnemius muscle (superficial muscle) and soleus muscle (deep muscle) to the heel bone (calcaneus).  

 

You can have insertional tendinitis right at the heel bone (due to low blood supply) vs. non insertional that is higher in the muscle belly or at muscle tendon junction. You can also have acute tendinitis which is more related to inflammation vs. chronic tendinosis which is more related to micro-tears and poor quality of the tissue.  

 

Symptoms for Achilles tendinitis are generally comprised of achiness and pain at the back of the lower leg and ankle.

 

Achilles tendinitis may be more likely to occur if:

  • You suddenly increase the amount or intensity of an activity
  • Your calf muscles are very tight (not stretched out)
  • You run on hard surfaces such as concrete or asphalt
  • You run too often (too much volume)
  • You jump a lot (such as when playing basketball)
  • You do not have shoes with proper support
  • You run up hill a lot
  • You wear high heels a lot (calf muscles shorten)

 

How do I know if I have Achilles tendinitis?

Typically a doctor will take X-Rays or MRI to rule out other serious pathology and diagnose you with tendinitis or tendinosis.

 

What are the standard or traditional Physical Therapy treatments?

Standard treatment includes rest, ice, anti-inflammatory medication, stretching, strengthening and eccentric exercise. A doctor may also recommend a cortisone injection.

 

How would a Manual Physical Therapists treat Achilles tendinitis?

A Manual Physical Therapy would work on the joint mobility of the ankle, foot and knee as necessary and improve soft tissue mobility of the tendon and muscles of the lower leg. In addition, a Manual based approach would include working to improve strength and coordination through specific manual techniques. Typically we (therapists) find restricted ankle joint folding, poor length and play (side to side motion) of the Achilles, gastrocnemius and soleus, and weakness of the other muscles that propel you forward in running (glutes, hamstrings, core).

 

Are there any precautions I should take when dealing with Achilles Tendinitis?

There should be no precautions in general for just a tendonitis. Your therapist should give you detailed exercise or running progressions. On a side note, taking statins (cholesterol medications) and some antibiotics (Cipro, Levaquin) have been shown to potentially weaken tendons, so proceed with caution with intense activity when taking statins or antibiotics.

 

Is there anything I can do to prevent Achilles Tendinitis from happening in the future?

Wearing proper foot wear, using proper exercise volume and intensity, keeping good range of motion of the ankle and calf muscles, good strength and balance as well as good running mechanics all can play a part in preventing this injury from recurring in the future.

 

 

Elite Health Services, located in Old Greenwich, CT is a world-class provider of certified functional manual based physical therapy, personal fitness, golf & triathlon performance training, massage therapy and wellness related services.  Our team of highly skilled and dedicated professionals take a no-excuses approach to providing exceptional care, and delivering exceptional results.  To receive updates on upcoming events and to receive F.R.E.E health and wellness articles enter your email address here today! 
Triathlon Coaching Success Stories
Triathlon Performance
 
  "....Steve kept me motivated and confident through a traumatic injury and helped me accomplish my first full length Ironman triathlon."    

  

"I have been working with Steve since February 2011 as my coach, and it's been (and continues to be) a great relationship. I came to Steve with a running background and some short course triathlon experience, and I was looking for a tailored program to do my first full length Ironman distance triathlon. I was somewhat skeptical of the benefits of coaching since I felt like I had a solid running base and would be disciplined enough to follow an off-the-shelf triathlon training program. However, I figured I'd give it a try with Steve since my biking skills were weak and my swimming even worse; left on my own, I would inevitably err on the side of running more often than necessary.

Not surprisingly, Steve's coaching made a dramatic impact on my race day performance and my confidence level going into the race. He tailored my training program to focus on the areas where I needed the most work - namely cycling and swimming - and put me on an aggressive yet manageable program given my family/work constraints. He worked with my sometimes hectic and travel-filled work schedule and adapted my training plan accordingly. By the time I was a few months away from the race, I was confident that I could manage through the race effectively. At this point, disaster struck when I was in a bad bike accident with a landscaping truck (on my own at the end of a long ride). Thankfully, my injuries were primarily limited to a badly broken right forearm. I thought I was done for the race, but Steve worked with my surgeon (also a Greenwich Tri Club member) to tailor a training program for me for the remaining weeks. Without Steve's input and support, I'm pretty sure that my surgeon would have shut me down for the race. Since I couldn't ride on my bike or swim, Steve had me do long sets on a recumbent bike for several weeks. When I was finally cleared to get into the water, he put together a swimming program that got me back into adequate swimming shape; given my limited range of motion in my right arm post-injury, "adequate" swimming shape was really more than I could have hoped for. Needless to say, Steve kept me motivated and confident through a traumatic injury and helped me accomplish my first full length Ironman triathlon. I generally felt great throughout the race since I followed Steve's prescribed race pace and strategy for the bike and ended up having a great experience.

 

Overall, I believe that Steve's primary strengths are his technical knowledge of training approaches, his credibility as a competitive and accomplished triathlete himself, his confidence in the training programs he prescribes, his ability to develop aggressive yet manageable training programs that do not put athletes at unwarranted risk of injury, his knowledge of nutrition and nutrition strategies, and his accessibility as a coach. For these reasons (and others), I continue to work with Steve for both marathon racing and future long-course triathlons."

  

  

Gene Lee         

Greenwich, CT 

Elite Health Services
Elite Health Services, located in Old Greenwich, CT is a world-class provider of certified functional manual based physical therapy, personal fitness, golf & triathlon performance training, massage therapy and wellness related services. 

Our team of highly skilled and dedicated professionals take a no-excuses approach when it comes to providing you with exceptional care and delivering exceptional results.

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The Elite Health Services newsletter is written by Connie Scholl Kurczewski and Elite Health Services.  If you have questions, comments or inquires please send them to: reception@elitehealthservices.com   
Special Father's Day Gift Package 
Father's Day Golf Performance