You have bursitis

I went to the doctor after running throughout the spring and summer with a persistent, yet tolerable pain in my left heel. The pain was located right at the bottom of my Achilles tendon, where the back of a loose shoe will give you a blister. I just knew it was nothing serious. I also knew that running was not making it worse. I knew that if I ignored it, it would go away eventually. It’s the kind of injury that felt better after I had been running for 10 minutes, so therefore running is the cure not the cause. I will stop there, this probably sounds like familiar thought process (rationalization) to many of you.

When the burning sensation started, that was when I knew I did not know how to get over this on my own. I had to do something different than trying to ice and ignore the problem away while continuing to run 25 miles a week. When the doctor told me that I had bursitis, I thought, “Oh thank goodness, I thought it was something serious." Then, "What the heck is bursitis?”

Bursitis is an inflammation of the fluid-filled sac (bursa) that lies between a tendon and skin, or between a tendon and bone. This is a nice informative link about bursitis from PubMed Health, a part of the National Institute of Health (NIH).

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001456/

My doctor also prescribed Voltaren Topical (Diclonfenac) which is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID). It works by reducing hormones that cause inflammation and pain. This drug is used for treatment of arthritis.

Looking forward to a speedy recovery and definately not a chronic condition.