Basketball players–Achilles stress is no joke. Too many seasons and careers have been cut short due to Achilles injuries and tears. Unfortunately, despite all of the training advancements out there, the Achilles tendon is still susceptible to a number of issues.
But there’s good news–there is a lot you can do to protect and strengthen your Achilles and the surrounding muscles and tissues; however, what you do may look a bit different than what you are used to.
Most of the time, when we think about strengthening the Achilles tendon, isometric exercises, overloaded eccentric exercises, and even controlled plyometric exercises are typically brought up.
While these can all be effective choices to an extent, they are limited in their effectiveness, and those limitations can end up leaving you vulnerable to injuries and issues.
Instead of thinking about putting lots of force into the tendon to try to build its strength, I want you to consider two other things:
- The mobility of the ankle, specifically into dorsiflexion
- The function of the muscles that directly or indirectly influence the Achilles tendon
First, let’s discuss the mobility of the ankle.
Almost every Achilles tendon rupture happens when the ankle gets shoved farther than it should into dorsiflexion, or the ankle motion where the foot points up. Naturally, this would lead people to believe that if they stretch their calves and mobilize their ankles, they should be able to go into dorsiflexion more with less stress to the Achilles.
However, over the last 13 years, I have seen firsthand that the amount of dorsiflexion somebody has is not dictated by how loose their calves and Achilles are, but rather by how strong and well-functioning their dorsiflexors are, such as anterior tibialis.
In fact, every single week I see ankle mobility improve into dorsiflexion by improving the function of the dorsiflexor muscles without having to do any type of stretching or joint mobilization.
By simply following the Muscle Activation Techniques® (MAT®) process, the function of the ankle dorsiflexors improves, allowing for more mobility of the ankle into dorsiflexion.
Likewise, I have seen that stretching the calves and Achilles tendons causes more harm than good in terms of actually losing range of motion and joint mobility and decreasing the strength and function of the ankle dorsiflexors.
In other words, if you want your ankle motion to improve to take stress off your Achilles, focus on increasing the strength and function of your ankle dorsiflexors instead of trying to stretch or mobilize your calves and ankles.
Second, the muscles that directly or indirectly influence the Achilles tendon need to be functioning well, such as the gastrocs muscles, the soleus muscles, and the muscles that support those like posterior tibialis.
When some of your muscles stop functioning well due to stress, trauma, or overuse, other muscles will have to start compensating to make up for them.
As time goes by, these overworking muscles can start to get tight and achy; and if they pull on the Achilles tendon, they can cause the Achilles to feel tight and achy.
However, the underworking muscles can be identified, addressed, and brought back up to speed, allowing the overworking muscles to relax and not put so much strain on the Achilles.
That is exactly what we do with the MAT® process–identify which muscles are not working well, address them directly to get them working better, and then reintegrate them into the activities you love to do so your body can work and perform more efficiently.
If you have experienced Achilles stress in the past, you know it is nothing to take lightly.
In my experience, there is nothing that is more effective at helping to address and reduce Achilles stress than Muscle Activation Techniques®. By improving the function of the muscles that dorsiflex the ankle and the muscles that directly or indirectly influence the Achilles tendon, it is not uncommon for Achilles stress to resolve rather quickly in basketball players.
If you are in the Chicago area and would like to try out MAT®, you can schedule a time to have your body assessed by clicking here.
And, if you are not in the Chicago area but are open to traveling to me or having me travel to you for Muscle Activation Techniques®, you can email me at charlie@matschaumburg.com and we can discuss the specifics of what you would like to arrange.
The bottom line is that you can do a lot to reduce the stress on your Achilles tendons. You can change your shoes. You can try to strengthen them directly. But until you get the muscles of your feet and ankles functioning better, you will always have a higher risk for injury than you otherwise would.
MAT® is, without question, the best thing you can do to improve the function of your muscles, which means it is the best thing you can do to reduce the stress on your Achilles.
Charlie
Charlie Cates is the leading consultant to high-level professional, college, and high school basketball players in the Chicagoland area for injury prevention, recovery, and muscle performance.
As one of Chicago’s most sought-after Muscle Activation Techniques® practitioners, he is certified in the highest levels of MAT®, including MATRx, MATRx Stim, and MAT® Athlete.
A former college basketball player, he uses his personal experience and understanding of the game and player demands to create customized exercise options for his clients to recover faster and perform their best.
He sees clients in-studio at Muscle Activation Schaumburg as well as in-home.
You can schedule your MAT® assessment with him by clicking here, and be sure to follow him on Instagram at @CharlieCates!
