This patient has a very tight achilles tendon. The prolonged heat ice routine is based on a study done at Temple University years ago. The goal is to 3 times per week hold a stretch throughout a 30 or even 45 minute period. Heat is utilized here in the form of a heat pack for 30 minutes and this is followed by an ice pack for the last 15 minutes. Therefore, it is a 2:1 ratio of heat to ice, so 20 minutes of heat followed by 10 minutes of ice, or 15 minutes of heat and 7.5 minutes of ice. You can see it is a two man job! I get great results within a few weeks (probably near the 10th time landmark). The days the patient is not doing this they still need to stretch 3 times normally.
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Thank you very much for leaving a comment. Due to my time restraints, some comments may not be answered.I will answer questions that I feel will help the community as a whole.. I can only answer medical questions in a general form. No specific answers can be given. Please consult a podiatrist, therapist, orthopedist, or sports medicine physician in your area for specific questions.