I've been having this on and off pain in my left Achilles tendon. It gets pretty bad at times and it often hurts when I don't move around for long periods of time because I guess it gets stiff. If I don't run for a day or two I'm usually fine, but whenever I run it either hurts minimally to a lot while I'm running, and always hurts at least a little bit thereafter. As I said, it's behind my ankle on the left, where my Achilles tendon is, and feels like a strained feeling. It's swollen and I usually ice it which I think helps, but the swelling is still there. This has been going on for a couple weeks now, but I can't pinpoint an exact time that it happened. It wasn't an injury that I sustained at a certain point. Any idea what it is? What can I do to fix it (I really don't want to stop working out/running...but if I really have to I guess I will)?

Sounds like you could have an Achilles strain, or possibly an ankle sprain. If it's been swollen for a couple of weeks then STOP RUNNING ON IT ! And try to stay off your feet as much as possible outside of going to and doing your job.

You need to give it some real rest... take a week off, with plenty of ice, compression, and elevation. If it is a mild grade sprain or strain, you should see the swelling start to go down after the first 48 hours, and you can then stop with the cold therapy and start with heat therapy. If the swelling does not go down, get to a doc.

In all reality, if you've had noticeable swelling for two weeks already, you might just want to skip all of this and get straight to the doc. If you already have a grade 2 Achilles strain (the tendon is torn but has not yet parted) you need to get medical attention. That joint sees a lot of action throughout the normal course of daily life, and you don't want an already destabilized Achilles (if that's what the problem really is) to tear completely. But first things first, stop running. I got to see a grade 3 Achilles tear once and it's one of the few times a sports injury has made me throw up.

Ok...well is there a way I can keep doing cardio? Would biking be bad? Biking doesn't hurt it....

ps: any idea why it only hurts sometimes and not all the time, whether I'm running or not? The only time I noticed that I know it will hurt is if I'm immobile for long periods of time, in which case it gets stiff. Other than that, it hurts randomly, or so it seems

If you are going to do cardio, try to stay away from anything that's going to make you have to flex at the ankle. As you don't bike with your heels on the pedals, you're going to be using your dorsi and plantar foot flexors quite a bit during cycling, so I'd steer clear of that. Your best bet would be swimming.

As for your ankle hurting when you're not doing anything: when swelling occurs and you stop moving the swollen joint, the affected muscles can tighten up and blood can pool. That is part of the reason why it may hurt to move around after being immobile.

swimming isn't an option =( ....I don't know if I can mentally or physically handle a week off of cardio lol...My body reacts very drastically with any variation of diet/exercise....what about the elliptical? probably my last choice of cardio but something is better than nothing I guess..

I you absolutely have to do some cardio out of water, your best best would probably be either a handwheel bike or stationary or recumbent bike with your feet slightly forward on the pedals. Take it easy though, and I hope your ankle injury clears up!

If I were you I'd give it no more than another week with no improvement before you head to the doc about it.

Thanks a lot for the input. I'll do what I can. Probably make an appointment with the doctor regardless just to see what he says. I hate going though because they always make me stop working out (or doing cardio in this case) lol