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Has anyone here ever had Achilles tendinitis? If so, how long did it affect your activities? Did anything seem to aid in your healing process?

By day I masquerade as some sort of professional. Acute-- RICE---light stretching. Chronic--make sure shoe fit is correct for hindfoot and get assessed for any excessive motion either in pronation or supination. Sometimes a small pad in the heel can help temporarily. Be critical of any changes in footwear. Sometimes the new comfy shoes can be the culprit. You may need to be assessed for muscular imbalance--overly strong or tight gastroc versus weak tib ant. Weak and or tight plantarfascia.
I personally had a couple of bouts where the tendon swelled and formed a nice knot of tissue just above the notch in the shoe. The culprit both times for me was the boot fit ( yes had one pair fitted at Summit Hut--they aren't perfect) and the combo of foot bed I needed. Massage, Ultrasound, stretching and calf raises got rid of it in about a month. Oh, and Ice massage, a nice form of self torture.
Good luck---

As the acute stage passes, if you have access to a nice mushy sand area, you can accomplish some impressive rehab with walk, hikes and runs in that medium... the aspect of every footplant being non-repetitive, and the micro twists to the muscles and connective tissues seem to have a profound effect. Go slow... build up. Good Luck!