DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I believe I have injured my Achilles tendon, and it worries me a lot. I am a runner and have been one for many years. My right Achilles tendon has been hurting me for the past two weeks. It’s worse in the morning, when I can barely hobble around. Around noon, things improve, and by evening, I almost feel like I could run.

My biggest worry is tendon rupture. That happened to my brother while playing baseball. I would hate to face what he went through. How can I be sure my tendon hasn’t ruptured? – H.M.

ANSWER: The Achilles tendon anchors the calf muscles to the heel bone. Contraction of the calf tugs on the tendon, which, in turn, draws the heel off the ground so body weight rests on the balls of the feet and toes. Rupture of the tendon is a memorable event. It happens when a person makes a sudden burst of speed or a sudden change of direction while running. There’s a popping noise, and people say it feels like something hit them in the tendon. They can’t walk normally; they limp. It’s impossible to stand on the toes of the involved foot. I don’t think you’ve ruptured the tendon, but the only certain way to find out is to have a doctor examine your heel.

Your problem appears to be Achilles tendinitis – tendon inflammation. Hill running, an increase in running mileage or a change of running surface irritates and inflames the tendon. Just as you say, Achilles tendinitis pain is worse on waking in the morning and gradually gets better with activity. You shouldn’t even think about running. You have to take a rest until the pain leaves, and that can take four to six weeks. Anti-inflammatory drugs counter the inflammation and ease the pain. Warm soaks also help. Inserting a one-half- to three-quarter-inch heel lift into your shoe will take stress off the tendon and speed healing.

I want to encourage you to see a doctor. Chances are the tendon is intact, but you don’t want to take any chances – and neither do I. Surgery is often chosen for a ruptured Achilles tendon.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I’m scheduled for hernia repair in three weeks. The thought of surgery doesn’t bother me, but the enforced rest does. I have exercised for a long time, and I don’t want all my work undone by a period of inactivity. How much do you estimate this surgery will set me back? – P.R.

ANSWER: After a week of not exercising, muscles lose a little strength and a little size. After a full month of no exercise, muscles have become quite deconditioned. Much depends on your level of physical fitness before the enforced rest. You are in good shape. Your loss of strength and muscle size will be relatively slow.

If you’re talking about aerobic deconditioning, the same process occurs. After two to three weeks of no work, the heart rate begins to rise, as does blood pressure. The rise is slight, but it indicates that the heart is losing some of its exercise gains.

This is something that happens to all athletes, even professionals, who have to take an enforced rest. It shouldn’t be a matter of dismay. Once you start retraining, you’ll be back to your former state quite rapidly. It takes about as much time to reach that former state as the time you will take off to recover from your surgery. Some pros take months and months off to refresh themselves mentally and physically.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: While doing a bench press, I felt a pain in my upper chest, next to my right arm. I haven’t exercised in a week, and it feels better. What do you think happened? – L.C.

ANSWER: You might have torn part of your pectoralis muscle, the large chest muscle that originates in the breastbone and the breastbone side of the collarbone. The muscle inserts on the humerus, the upper-arm bone. The pectoralis muscle is involved in performing a bench press – the exercise done by lifting a barbell straight up and off the chest while lying on a bench.

I hate to tell you to see a doctor, but I have to. If the pectoralis muscle has torn away from its attachment to the humerus, it doesn’t heal well unless it is surgically reattached.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I am writing to you, but I think you might laugh at me and say I am foolish. I am 90 and have nine living kids, the youngest 53 and the oldest 70. I want to know if there is such a thing as ESP, extrasensory perception.

Several times, I have known two to four days before anything happened that my kids were going to face trouble or be hurt. I knew, before it happened, that my oldest boy, who was then in the Army, would suffer an injury, and he was badly hurt in an auto accident. This has happened many times. Two grandkids tell me I am crazy. I would like to know if my mind is off-center. – D.C.

ANSWER: Anyone who can write as lucid a letter as you does not have a mind that is off-center. Frankly, I don’t know about ESP. I’ll pass on information provided by readers more knowledgeable than I.

Dr. Donohue regrets that he is unable to answer individual letters, but he will incorporate them in his column whenever possible. Readers may write him or request an order form of available health newsletters at P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. Readers may also order health newsletters from www.rbmamall.com