WAG Achilles stretches

[triplethreat+1]

Can anyone suggest some good stretches for the Achilles tendon?
My DD has mentioned a pain in her heel for the past few weeks. Not the base of the heel, more 'inside'. It's been interfering with tumbling but at home she seems fine. The other day one of the coaches noted that her calf on that leg was really tight and had her roll it, which did give short-term relief. The other day a coach said he thinks the pain is where the Achilles tendon attaches, and that she should do stretches at home.
So, other than lunges and pulling back on toes while in pike, are there other stretches/exercises /anything that might help? Is there an 'at-home' version of rolling?
Has anyone else seen this?

 

[Jard.the.gymnast]

What does the doctor say? With all the impact on the tendons in gymnastics, you can't be careful enough with things like this.

 

[gymgal]

I would highly recommend seeing an ortho and/or PT for this. Dd has been having this problem and her PT said stretching can make it worse. In dd's case, rolling the calf muscle is what was recommended. It has helped a lot

 

[triplethreat+1]

I would highly recommend seeing an ortho and/or PT for this. Dd has been having this problem and her PT said stretching can make it worse. In dd's case, rolling the calf muscle is what was recommended. It has helped a lot

Ok, I guess I will call my PT to get her seen.
I hadn't thought it would be a big deal, for a few reasons- she is only doing 8hrs/wk, level 3/4 (depends on that kip lol). And it started bothering her while we were on holidays for a week (at that point had only been back for two weeks after two week gym closure). The coach didn't seem overly concerned either, but I think it's only been noticeable this week.
My DD can be hard to read, sometimes dramatic but other times not say anything until it gets really bad.
Maybe I will just have her roll her calf for now... How would we do that at home? We don't have an actual roller.

 

[gymgal]

Ok, I guess I will call my PT to get her seen.
I hadn't thought it would be a big deal, for a few reasons- she is only doing 8hrs/wk, level 3/4 (depends on that kip lol). And it started bothering her while we were on holidays for a week (at that point had only been back for two weeks after two week gym closure). The coach didn't seem overly concerned either, but I think it's only been noticeable this week.
My DD can be hard to read, sometimes dramatic but other times not say anything until it gets really bad.
Maybe I will just have her roll her calf for now... How would we do that at home? We don't have an actual roller.

Sorry, I should have asked about the levels first. Mine is a level 10 so a lot more heavy tumbling with a higher risk of a tear. At L3/4 I am not sure what would cause it. dd does the rolling at gym. They have bars and rollers there. I still would recommend having her seen especially if the coach is not sure what to do specifically.

 

[triplethreat+1]

Sorry, I should have asked about the levels first. Mine is a level 10 so a lot more heavy tumbling with a higher risk of a tear. At L3/4 I am not sure what would cause it. dd does the rolling at gym. They have bars and rollers there. I still would recommend having her seen especially if the coach is not sure what to do specifically.

They so far have just said 'achilles stretches', of course I know the basic ones but thought I'd ask here if anyone had other suggestions. I can ask the coaches tomorrow when I bring my DDs in. I didn't really have time to get in depth when I picked them up yesterday, but I will ask if they think I should have her seen as well.
Thanks!

 

[fuzi]

You can but a foam roller for less than 20 bucks. Great fun for the whole family.

 

[rjb123]

you can also purchase a heel rocker to stretch those calves. You can get them on amazon for around $10-15. My DD loves hers and does it in the morning when she gets up and at night before bed.

 

[aquatica]

If she's level 3/4, I'm guessing she's on the younger side? My DD has had a lot of different problems stemming from tight calves and we've been told by doctors, PTs, and coaches that it's pretty normal for athletic kids around 9-11, because their legs are growing really fast and sometimes the bones grow faster than the muscles can keep up, leading to tight calf muscles. And really, it can happen to kids of any age who have a growth spurt!

 

[triplethreat+1]

If she's level 3/4, I'm guessing she's on the younger side? My DD has had a lot of different problems stemming from tight calves and we've been told by doctors, PTs, and coaches that it's pretty normal for athletic kids around 9-11, because their legs are growing really fast and sometimes the bones grow faster than the muscles can keep up, leading to tight calf muscles. And really, it can happen to kids of any age who have a growth spurt!

Ahhh this make sense! She is 10, and has barely grown in the past two years so she is due for a growth spurt! I haven't noticed but once she starts wearing pants again it will be easy to tell.