Achilles/peroneal tendonitis and other ankle woes: opinions and advice sought: dynamic, maybe?

[jamesg]

what exactly are the ankles supposed to be 'doing' on a well-formed drive?

That seems to be the crux. I would have guessed, when rowing, nothing.

Have you tried shortening the stroke forwards, so that the heels do not lift?

If necessary, a rope round the rail at 50-60cm from your toes can act as a front stop, which would impede overextension of the Achilles.

[dabatey]

what exactly are the ankles supposed to be 'doing' on a well-formed drive?

That seems to be the crux. I would have guessed, when rowing, nothing.

Have you tried shortening the stroke forwards, so that the heels do not lift?

If necessary, a rope round the rail at 50-60cm from your toes can act as a front stop, which would impede overextension of the Achilles.

Before I bought my C2, I had a cheap second hand rower where the footplates swivelled around an axis. Possibly something could be bodged up similar. Or maybe manufacture a 'wedge' and fit it between the top and bottom of the footplate. Many folks with poor ankle flexibility use wedges for squats. You can also get 'lifting shoes' which have wedge heels and are hard-soled so ideal for rowing.

[DelurkMode]

Thanks all for the latest replies.

I have been very conscious of not lifting my heels at all, which makes me think that I might be stressing the ankle area by tensing up there.

I'm going to take a few more days off and then try the suggestions here and see if I notice a difference.

[dabatey]

Thanks all for the latest replies.

I have been very conscious of not lifting my heels at all, which makes me think that I might be stressing the ankle area by tensing up there.

I'm going to take a few more days off and then try the suggestions here and see if I notice a difference.

Are you deliberately trying to keep your heels down?? If so that might be the root of your problems. Normally the heels should lift up when coming to the catch (for most folks). Rowing barefoot (or with no shoe heel) would make deliberately trying to keep heels down even harder on the ankles. (The reason I suggested a wedge etc in my previous answer is I thought you HAD to keep your heels down and not because you were TRYING to keep your heels down if you catch my drift).

[Dangerscouse]

I always have a slight lift in the heel, and I've read Olympians saying that they do too, but you just need to get them down ASAP on the drive.

I'd imagine it would compromise your stroke if you're actively trying to keep them down if they're not flexible enough.

[drluvguru]

I'm in a similar boat with long-term ankle and tendon issues (Achilles + peroneal, mostly left side), and it's been a frustrating balancing act trying to stay active without tipping into injury again.

The calf weakness + imbalance issue hits home. I didn't realize how much I was relying on my "stronger" side until I started rehabbing and tracking symmetry more deliberately. It's like the right side has been doing double duty for years.

I've been seriously considering moving to a dynamic setup too, your point about bodyweight momentum at the catch makes a lot of sense. That compression phase always feels like a risk zone, no matter how much I try to keep heels down and ease up on the slide.

Also, in case it's helpful, I've been looking into treatment options lately and came across this clinic, which seems to have a solid approach to Achilles tendon repair. Thought I'd pass it along in case you're exploring different recovery routes too.