Has Anyone Experience Pain And Swelling In There Calves And Ankles?

Oh yes, much pain. Achilles was swollen and the Physical Therapist was massaging and have me stretch my calf muscle. It will take a lot to help the pain.

A few things about Achilles pain. First and foremost, if you are wearing flats, throw them in the trash. You want to wear a shoe that has a good 8-10 mm difference between the height of the heel and that of the toe (referred to as "heel drop" in the running world), and 12 mm is best. This takes the stress off of your Achilles by ensuring it is not being constantly pulled on all day. For indoors, if you don't wish to wear what you feel are clunky shoes around the house, you can get some Oofos brand "recovery sandals". They're very cushioned, have a good heel drop, and good arch support. There are two main calf muscles that need to be stretched, the soleus, and the gastrocnemius. The standing calf stretch with outstretched leg most are familiar with is to stretch the gastrocnemius. To get a good stretch on the soleus, the smaller calf muscle on the anterior side of the calf, you do the standing calf stretch, but slightly bend the outstretched leg. It is the soleus that attaches directly to the Achilles tendon, so that is the most important one to stretch. Gentle stretching is important. You also need to do exercises to strengthen your glutes, as these are the muscles used to push off when striding. Weak glutes lead to a lot of overcompensation injuries, including plantar fasciitis and Achilles pain. It's important to know that tendons have very little blood supply, so taking NSAIDs for "tendonitis" isn't very efficacious, as they don't typically get enough blood to carry the medication to the sight of inflammation. I've had limited success with Diclofenac gel, but the only real solution is prevention. And prevention means maintaining adequate flexibility and strength in all of you muscles from the waist down. It's not what a lot of people like to hear, but you have to stay active. I always recommend getting with a personal trainer if your budget allows. If not, there are lots of useful video tutorials online to guide you through stretches. Yoga is an excellent option as a low impact strength and agility exercise. The important thing is to do all exercises correctly, so that you do not hurt yourself.