Volume Pedal question: pain in achilles tendon

[Bill McCloskey]

When I play for a few hours I notice quite a bit of pain in my achilles tendon of my Right foot, from riding the volume pedal swells. I'm using a Goodrich 120.

Any suggestions on a volume pedal that might be a bit easier to play for long periods and would reduce the strain on the back of the ankle?

[Dave Stagner]

I have tendinitis in my right ankle due to a hiking injury. I do PT on it for relief. Here's a very simple PT exercise you can do. Stand on a step (staircases are great) with your toes and forefoot on the step, and your heel hanging off. Relax your feet to let your heels sink as low as is comfortable, and hold that for 10 seconds. Lift out of it and stand on your toes for about 10 seconds. Repeat 5-10 times. I'd add massaging your Achilles tendon before and after at the pain point, to help break up the fluid buildup. Do this every other day. It will help stretch the tendon, and strengthen the calves and ankles.

Feel free to hang on to a railing or a wall for balance. You probably should, you don't want to fall! And if this exercise is uncomfortable or painful, see a doctor or physical therapist! (I am not even remotely a medical professional, just a tendinitis sufferer who has learned things that help.)

[Bill McCloskey]

I appreciate the answer and will give it a try. My problem is I have is that every bone in my right foot has been fused together as a result of my feet being disabled. Fortunately, they only did the right foot, so I can rock the pedals with my left leg and I wear a brace when not playing. So, not sure I can even physically do the exercises you mention, but I'll try.

Is there a volume pedal that folks have found that are ergonomically better for relieving pain?

[Dave Stagner]

If you have fused bones in that foot, I'd suggest NOT doing the exercises, and instead talk to your doctor about it, and get a PT reference that will consider your specific issues. It could be pointing to something completely different.

I use a Moyo volume pedal, which I really like. I much prefer it to the Goodrich pedals I've used. But it does have a longer throw than the Goodrich. My toes hang off the end because it's so small. If I could find something full length with a throw similar to the Moyo, I might switch.

[Marshall Woodall]

Hey Bill, check out Russ Pahl’s interview with Justin Schipper. He talks about using a box with a pot mounted on top of the steel that basically functions as an expression pedal into a helix to replace a floor volume pedal.

[Bill McCloskey]

lol. Yeah, not Russ has his own thing going. Not too practical for my needs though.

[Nicholas Cox]

Might I suggest less use of the volume pedal in general? If you are practicing at home I feel like it helps to take your foot off the volume pedal entirely sometimes so as not to overuse. It makes you focus on hand technique and muting more than when you use a volume pedal.

[Glenn Demichele]

Interesting thread. I fortunately don't have any pain, but I absolutely love my Moyo volume pedal. It's very low profile, so my right leg doesn't feel like it's up in the air. I really like my toes curling over the top - it feels like you're "holding it in your hand", which might take some stress off your achilles.
Another thing, I don't have it affixed to my pedal bar either. It stays put on the floor, but it's pretty easy to intentionally slide it around with your foot. I will often do this - not because it moved, but because I found I put it on the floor in slightly the wrong place at the beginning of the set.
Maybe moving it slightly during your sessions will spread your stress around and not aggravate your achilles as much.

[Bill McCloskey]

Thanks Glen. I will check it out.

Edit: just ordered one.

[Fred]

There's two things that MIGHT be helpful if you haven't tried already. They're both about position.

First try pulling the pedal back a bit closer to you. Try not to let your lower leg extend out past your knee.

Second, slide your foot forward and backward on the pedal to find the spot where your knee doesn't move up and down when rocking the pedal.

And there's a third thing. You may have to change the angle of the pedal to where it's most comfortable. For me there seems to be less stress when it points in the same direction as my thigh so my ankle doesn't need to twist. It just rocks.

[Douglas Schuch]

Bill, perhaps you've tried this (or someone suggested it, though I did try to scan the previous answers) - but if you know what particularly aggravates it, you should be able to adjust for that. So, is it stretching the achilles out by backing way off the pedal to the starting volume (or quiet when not playing)? Or is it the tension of that tendon when you go for max volume, with the calf and achilles tensioning to push the toes down?

If the former, try putting a thin book or piece of wood under the pedal at your heel end, so the pedal is sloped downward slightly. This will require less lifting of the toes (and thus less stretching the achilles) to back off the pedal. If it's the other - pushing down aggravates it, try putting something under the toe end of your pedal. This will mean you reach full volume with less pull by the achilles to depress the front of the foot.

Good luck!

[Bill McCloskey]

Thanks for everyone's suggestions. Moving the volume pedal closer seems to help and I've ordered a Moyo pedal. I've had less pain over the last few days. I've also noticed I have less pain with the Goodrich h-120 vs the L-120

[Marvin Born]

Check out a Telonics vol pedal. It uses an “angular position sensor” on the base and a second on the pedal to determine a DC voltage to control an op amp. A pedal can be ordered that outputs the movable sensor to a jack that allows another sensor to be plugged in to control the vol externally.

I have one mounted on a hat, so you tilt you head up and down to control the volume. Depending on which way you wear the heat, you can tilt down to lower volume or wear it backwards and tilting the head down can raise the volume.

This works well. I used it for a demo in St Louis several years ago. ( Warning: A hot girl walked by and when the player looked up the whole room knew he was checking her out. )


The early pedals had that function installed. Later pedals had to be ordered with that function. The hat sensor and the tuner out shared the same jack with TRS jacks. When using a hat sensor, the pedal can be anywhere, it is not necessary to place it under the steel.

Contact Dave Beaty or Sophie at Telonics for more info. Telonics.com, then pro audio.

[Steve Lipsey]

Note that with the moyo, it is meant to have your foot extend over the end...that part of your foot doesn't do anything anyway...and generally, you want the pivot point on the pedal just under the pivot point on your ankle, but try it further up or back, that changes the way the volume changes relative to your motion...

[Bill McCloskey]

I got the moyo a few days ago and already sold it. I really really didn't like it at all. I need the full length of a Goodrich. Lately, I haven't been having the problem so much. I adjusted my sitting somewhat and I think that helps.