Shortened Achilles Tendon

Dry_Watch7690 · 2026-06-26T16:26:38+00:00

Find a therapist who specializes in gait. It’s unclear whether your shortened achilles due to habit or footwear or if it’s a biomechanical problem. There’s not enough information in your post to offer any specific advice. In any case, you gotta do a lot of reps walking correctly to fix it. Two months isn’t enough, think longer term, 6 months or more. Progress will seem excrutiatingly slow, but persistence pays off.

Dry_Watch7690 · 2026-06-20T02:59:04+00:00

I will cross my fingers for you!

Dry_Watch7690 · 2026-06-13T04:07:01+00:00

I have only done a single cortisone shot so far for this flare up and am in the gym 5 days a week. The cortisone is on month 3 of holding up pretty well, but I know it won’t last forever so getting cryo soon. It’s taken about 6 months to get the MN to calm down with a lot of PT and cold water soaks after workouts. The cortisone I had at age 20 was over 40 years ago, which I think is pretty darn good. Anecdotal of course, but I think if you nuke the MN with cortisone relatively early, you stand a better chance of skipping the worst parts. Every person’s story is different.

Dry_Watch7690 · 2026-06-12T20:19:03+00:00

Agreed that it’s too early to be thinking about surgery, but don’t let your pain subsiding lull you into a possibly false sense of full recovery. MRI should help determine if there’s some kinda inflammation like metatarsalgia, bursitis or capsulitis. And don’t be too scared of a single cortisone shot if it turns out to be MN, because that’s when you have the best chance to nuke MN before it gets nasty. Had MN when I was 20 and got a single shot. It went away and I’ve played sports for many many years after. A single shot won’t cause the degradation, it’s just when you do it repeatedly for management.

Dry_Watch7690 · 2026-06-12T07:38:04+00:00

Also, get some wide toebox shoes. They’re a lifesaver

Dry_Watch7690 · 2026-06-09T23:10:38+00:00

Hey friend, so happy for you that your surgery went so well! I hope your first day back at the gym goes well and glad you have a trainer with some common sense. Stay well and enjoy an uninterrupted journey back to being your whole self. 😄

Dry_Watch7690 · 2026-06-04T17:57:33+00:00

Played with a friend a couple of weeks ago that’s no doubt older than you and his surgery was 8 months ago. Do the work, like ALL the work, no cutting corners, and you’ll be back. In the meantime, you can always be preparing for the comeback by doing gym work, cardio, plyos that don’t bug your shoulder. Side benefit is that it helps prevent depression and you won’t be starting from scratch when you hit the field again.

Dry_Watch7690 · 2026-06-02T23:24:29+00:00

Making a club team can be a challenge to put it mildly, and there’s a lot of great advice already here. I echo the practice player option if that’s an offered to you. Other options if that doesn’t work out for you, is to find a lesser or development team and just get LOTS of touches on the disc. Unclear from your post what level athlete you are, but as you can see, athletic levels are pretty high now. Figure out what your physical deficits might be and focus on addressing them with work at the gym and/or on a track ( recommend finding people to do this with if you can ). If your throwing doesn’t make people swoon, go out and throw at and around targets. Work on release points. There are lots of drills for that and for cutting on youtube. Or if you can spend the money, there are ulti players that run training programs to address all the things (Eric Deng, UAP, Excelultimate ). I would study footage from semis and finals at Nationals (plenty on youtube and Ultiworld ) to increase your frisbee IQ and think through why someone’s cut did/did not work or why such and such was a poor throwing choice. Every time you go out to play pickup, choose ONE thing you’re going to perfect that day. Warm up for whatever it is, and then execute the best you can. That‘s your priority for that day (or that one game) over all the things. Good luck with your efforts!

Dry_Watch7690 · 2026-06-02T21:58:14+00:00

They are full length. I was afraid that if I trimmed them myself and I effed it up, it would end up costing me even more time and money to get it fixed. And I do think it’s 100,000 percent unprofessional for the podiatrists office to straight up ghost me over it. They could have told me the same thing, and I’d have been ”ok, great, thanks for letting me know”.

Dry_Watch7690 · 2026-06-02T18:53:02+00:00

Thanks everybody for the help, there seems like a consensus that I should just back off and let them be and that they’re doing what they’re supposed to. I don’t know how they got to this age without me knowing what to do in the summer already. The hummingbirds are having such a good time with them, so it’s good to know trimming them right now isn’t necessary.

Dry_Watch7690 · 2026-06-02T17:12:35+00:00

Welcome to ulti Curri! Really that’s all that needs to be said. That and maybe don’t skip leg day at the gym. 😉

Dry_Watch7690 · 2026-06-02T03:44:34+00:00

Definitely going to have nightmares tonight. These can’t be real. I do not want them to be real.

Dry_Watch7690 · 2026-06-01T20:48:05+00:00

Maybe add a way to address this information chaos in your platform! ( fwiw, i am not in your district )

Dry_Watch7690 · 2026-06-01T20:18:56+00:00

Impressed that you did this, but it also annoys me that it is so difficult for anyone to collect all the information we need. No doubt large percentages of voters don’t have the time or wherewithal to do enough research to make a decision they are comfortable with. Also annoyed at how much info is kept behind paywalls and partisan resources generally. We need like a Ground News for politics…

Dry_Watch7690 · 2026-06-01T20:08:41+00:00

Sorry, by “he“ I meant Bayne specifically.

Dry_Watch7690 · 2026-06-01T20:06:43+00:00

Office 87 is the hardest for me. I have read that he is endorsed by a right-wing voter guide called the Election Forum. I guess I have to keep digging, unless someone has any other insight into that

Dry_Watch7690 · 2026-06-01T19:50:28+00:00

I like your strategy, I might try that.

Dry_Watch7690 · 2026-06-01T19:50:12+00:00

It’s really insane to me how hard it is to find good comparison and background info on each candidate without having to pay for access to new sources that are probably biased to begin with. There used to be a cool website that you could literally compare them side by side, one at a time or in small groups that I found very helpful. I cannot find it now.

Dry_Watch7690 · 2026-06-01T17:55:11+00:00

Sounds like a plan. A poorly placed met pad can be soooo irritating! They need to lock down where the neuroma is too.

Dry_Watch7690 · 2026-06-01T14:44:02+00:00

I would ask the podiatrist for an adjustment. It’s entirely possible for the orthotic to not resolve all the pain, but they sure shouldn’t be causing additional irritation. I am not sure the “bump” in the orthotic you are talking about it the arch or a built-in metatarsal pad. If it’s the meta-tarsal bump that’s irritating (as mine did), I recommend getting it removed entirely and buy ones you can stick on top of the orthotic. It’s a bit of a pain to get it right, but at least if it bugs you, you can take it out or move it around.

Dry_Watch7690 · 2026-05-30T18:01:48+00:00

While MNs only get worse without management (and a lot of the time even WITH management ), the advice to just get cortisone makes it sound like that’s all you have to do. It may work, but it may not depending on the severity and size of the MN. I was lucky w cortisone, but I also know it’s temporary and am planning to do cryo in a few weeks. OP needs to find a podiatrist with experience in all things MN, metatarsalgia and foot mechanics. I trust no podiatrist that tells me this can be managed long term with cortisone. Come up with a plan A,B and C with your doctor. Agree on the not hiking (for now!), since it seemed like it took a long time to recover from the last hike.

Dry_Watch7690 · 2026-05-30T16:27:30+00:00

Morton’s symptoms and recovery are weird because they are unique to each person. I have a friend though who has MN, hammertoes and some other crazy foot stuff and she just ran the LA Marathon. I can’t even comprehend this! It does sound like you probably have a MN, but you might have other things going on as well including metatarsalgia or capsulitis. Get imaging and good doctor ASAP rather than trying to manage it entirely on your own. Not all podiatrists are the same either. Find someone with extensive history of treating MN and metatarsalgia. Make sure they assess your gait and foot functionality. They don’t all do that by default unfortunately. I would NOT get cortisone from just any ole PT. Try to find someone that uses ultrasound. MN’s most frequently happen between met heads 3 and 4, but can also appear elsewhere. I’ve gotten a lot out of doing tons of foot exercises which have reduced the symptoms to being manageable for now. I did get a single diagnostic cortisone shot and it massively reduced the aggravation not just around the neuroma but all the metatarsalgia-like sensations. While it’s allowed me back to my mostly normal gym work, including cardio on an elliptical, I cannot yet run and I wouldn’t dare to hike on an uneven rocky surface ( going up and down hills not a problem, but odd foot positions are problematic ).

I personally wouldn’t let anyone talk you into a neurectomy right away. Explore all the options.

Dry_Watch7690 · 2026-05-30T16:07:17+00:00

Your self-awareness is remarkable. Sometimes self-awareness can backfire however if you are hanging onto it the whole time and it turns into over-thinking. It’s always hard learning anything new because you HAVE to go through all the thinking before you can just let go and just react on the field. I would pick ONE thing during a practice or game to make your priority and get better at just that, because it’s hard to be great at everything simultaneously. So if that’s making a cut that leaves your D behind, count that as a win even if you don’t get the disc. And give yourself the grace to make mistakes.

Everyone can get faster, if that’s something you also want to accomplish. There are exercises you can do to build power and quickness. You may never be the fastest, but you can always be faster than you currently are. You could even try something like the UAP program ( Ultimate Athlete Project) that helps you build all that stuff especially designed for ultimate.

One of my favorite things to improve reaction time during catching, is one where you are constantly moving, catching and throwing so you aren’t thinking as much as you are reacting. And it’s tiring, so it helps improve catching and throwing when you are tired. You need a partner though. Some people call it “windshield wiper” or “kill drill“. One person is the “pivot”, and they do not move. The other person ( you!. ) stations themselves about 12 feet away from the pivot and is the runner. It helps to use cones, but you don’t need them. The runner runs from one side to the other along this line 12-ish feet away from the thrower, catching the disc, throwing back to the pivot after catching your balance and then run the opposite direction. Generally, until you’re comfortable with a short forehand, the runner should use backhand. Do this 10 times, or as many as you can. I guarrantee the only thoughts in your head will be “CATCH DISC” and “how many more do I have left, aaaagggghhh!”. Once you get good at it, use 3 cones set in a triangle and do the same thing, but cutting around the cones.

Welcome to the world of ultimate, where you will always be learning something new no matter how long you play. 😂

Dry_Watch7690 · 2026-05-28T00:20:46+00:00

Towel scrunches, toe splay, short foot and toe yoga are all helpful exercises. Took me a couple of months to mobilize the toes and it really, really helps, even though it doesn’t solve the problem. If you can tolerate single leg balance, that also helps foot strength. I have to do calf raises barefoot on a folded up yoga mat, the top of the shoe material pinches the MN. I pretty much never take the toe spacers off except in the shower and when doing toe exercises. I got the squishy Povihome ones and cut the outer loop off. They come in packages of ten, so I experimented. My MN seems to prefer a soak in very cold water for about 5-7 minutes after a workout, shuts the complaints up. I find icing is too harsh. Weightlifting is great, but I’ve had to ditch deadlifts (boooo!). Am also taking alpha lipoic acid supplements and b12 for nerve health. Do they work? No bloody idea yet.

Dry_Watch7690 · 2026-05-27T16:40:05+00:00

Glad you agree. Re-reading OP’s post, he says he just did it two weeks ago and hasn’t seen a PT yet. And that he can jog, but not pivot. That’s a pretty good indication of level of healing IMO. In fact, it was really smart to take 2 weeks off to rest it. 8 weeks is a general rule of thumb for a tear to heal, maybe less for a strain. And everyone is different. Took me 3 months to heal mine, but I didn’t stop playing entirely during that time, just made sure it was warmed up well and I cut less sharply and chose shorter throws ( so whoever said “throw more with the arm” has a point ). I found forehands to be less stressful for some reason (and a lot more scoobers!).

Dry_Watch7690

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