I don't want to get in trouble for double posting, but I don't think a lot of people are in the forum section I originally posted in and I don't have the money to pay for the ask a doctor section and wanted to see if I could maybe get help here.
In short- I'm 25 years old, female, and overweight. No health problems otherwise. Two years ago, I finally got my butt into exercising and have lost 20 pounds. Initially it consisted of either walking or bike riding, but then I hit a plateau and I decided to finally try running and since November, I have been training to run. I have been doing it slow and am still at a run-walk (where I'll jog for so long and then stop when it gets too strenous and walk). I usually do this about 3 days a week and the other days I bike or walk. I have never experienced any injuries except shin splints occasionally.
For the past week I have been worried about my left ankle. I was able to stand up on my toes and have no pain, and when I woke up or got up after sitting for a long time, there was no pain, no swelling or bruising or anything, and it didn't hurt when I squeezed the area (just makes my blood run cold to touch that area). But I noticed that when I did any type of ankle exercise, the ankle cracked A LOT. If I did the same exercise on my right ankle, it hardly, if ever, cracked. And a lot of times I got a feeling in my ankle like when you need to crack your knuckles and rolling the ankle around will relieve it. But no pain. And then if I flexed my foot with my toes pointing down, and I know this sounds really weird, sometimes there is a feeling in the back and towards the left that is so mild, I couldn't even tell if it was actually pain. Just maybe like a pressure....almost like the feeling of needing to crack something! My running shoes were kind of bad and I just used a new pair on Sunday.
But today, when I woke up, I got out of bed and after a few minutes plantar flexed the left foot to test it and while pointing my toes down, out of nowhere, I felt a pain. I did not (at least do not recall which from other people's testimonies I think I would remember) feel the tell tale POP of a rupture or of being whacked in the leg. And now it hurts to point down, to flex my feet up where my toes are facing up, to move my foot out to the left, and to stand up on my toes (I can do it, just not a lot because it hurts). Just those ways. Its in the back, a little more than half an inch below the level of the ankle bone and more to the left. It doesn't hurt sitting down unless I move it in those 4 particular positions. And once again, like I mentioned, it feels like it needs to be popped, just worse than it felt before. No swelling or anything (yet). No pain on palpating the area. It does hurt to walk, usually worse when I first get up. I can stand on my left foot alone and no pain, so no problem whatsoever in bearing weight. If I bend my knees or go into a squat position I can feel the pain. Its in such an isolated spot I don't think it is sprained or anything. But now I am worried I may have ruptured or torn the Achilles tendon and I am really afraid to do anything. I have a hard time believing the tendon could be simply torn or ruptured from doing a plantar flex of the foot that I didn't do it violently or abruptly, but I am not a professional so what do I know?
Does this sound like anything I should be concerned about?
Thanks,
Nikki