Achilles and Sprinting
In sprinting and more specifically acceleration, position and technique are of first priority in development since the positions in a sprint dictate the force demands and length tension relationships of the muscles usage.
“Joints act and muscles react” to positions in movement.
Joint positions and posture in sprinting dictate the availability of muscles in that particular movement. I’ve been covering a series of topics in regard to sprinting for lengthy athletes. Basketball players primarily, who have longer levers, joints, and length-tension relationships are much prone to distal injuries.
Another common byproduct of poor length-tension and distal structure injuries? The achilles.
In taller athletes, the proximal musculature around the pelvis and big movers (illacus, psoas, glute max, adductors, and quads) are responsible for moving these athletes through time and space.
These athletes apply a significant amount of downward and horizontal force that must travel through distal structures such as the knee and foot. Consequently, these inherently weaker muscles (for this post - the achilles) act as conductors of energy and are not always prepared for these forces.
We know that we can’t “absorb” force as humans, therefore, we have to prepare for collision.
The Course of Treatment:
Of course we are not doctors, we work closely with all of our athletes doctors and physical therapists. Our job is to work in unison to get the appropriate outcome we're looking for.
Working with hundreds of basketball players of all levels over the last 8 years, I’ve seen more achilles injuries that I can account for.
3 Phases:
- Phase 1: Weeks 1-2: Address Joint Position and Muscle Function: Via athletic postures, less edge range usage, and more proximal stability
- Phase 2: Weeks 3-4: Strengthen via Isometrics, eccentrics, and conetrics (in that order) based on triplanar competency
- Phase 3: Weeks 5-6: Increase bi articular muscle action & the ability to handle load and propulsion through more ballistic actions