Achiles pain or something else?

I have been trying to transition into minimalist shoes (fivefingers) because I exercise better barefoot, and I am having some ankle and foot problems! I am not sure if I am going to be able to get used to it! It is a slow process I know......How is the bare feet other than the pain?
I am icing taking ibuprofen and wrapping with an ankle brace, but guess that would be hard to do for achiles.

I am no expert (so I know I shouldn't even be responding), but the heel is naturally sensitive. Expensive shoes have lots of heel support, and, over time, certain muscles in the foot are just not used. When we barefoot run or run in more minimalist shoes, we start using unused muscles and parts of the foot. Could be a transition. Definitely ice and rest. Don't overdo it, but it might be just that.

You have bursa pads on either side of your foot between the ankle bone and achilles tendon...could be a little bursitis. If you notice a bump forming, then that's likely the issue. Very sensitive to touch as the bursa swells. Definitely ice and use anti-inflammatories, but check with your doctor to be sure.

I can tell you, that if this is the condition, you can still run with it...just try to stay on flat surfaces. My boyfriend has been running with this condition for several months, but the only treatment he's done is icing. It flares up after he races in a flat, which is very similar to a minimalist shoe. A sports medicine doctor might have you do some ultrasound and/or stem treatment to help aid in recovery, but if I were you, I'd get it checked out early on so you can try to avoid it getting worse.

If you continue to have pain, you may want to go to a podiatrist and have a professional check out your feet! I played competitive soccer for many years with achilles pain and finally went to a doctor and found out I have severe achilles tendonitis (the fix is wearing custom made orthodics). Hopefully you won't have to resort to that, but keep it in mind if the pain persists!

The medial and lateral malleolus are the actual ankle bone that you see on the side of your foot. The bursa is between the achilles tendon and the heel bone and is a really common injury in runners. If you push on either side of the achilles, you might feel a spongy resistance, which would be an inflammed bursa. And this injury is commonly mistaken for achilles tendonitis. If this is the case, you've gotta stay off the hills because it'll become worse, and avoid the massage as well as that will continue to irritate it.

If I were you, I'd get in with a sports medicine doctor. Your regular MD will prescribe an anti-inflammatory, but there are other treatment methods available that'll help, like ultrasound. And, in the case that this is your achilles tendon that's giving you the problems, you've gotta be really careful.

I know I'm sounding pushy, but as a fellow runner, I think you'd be better off getting the proper treatment and getting better rather than trying to guess what's wrong on a website that lacks medical expertise, trying to treat an injury incorrectly and making it worse. And because of the injury being in your foot and causing concern about your achilles tendon, if it isn't treated properly, it could affect your ability to walk...if something happens to that tendon, you can kiss your running workouts goodbye. In this situation, since you are just beginning to have pain, you can get it early enough and have minimal treatment...but if you continue to guess at what it can be and mistreat the injury, you could aggravate it to the point of needing an operation.

I'm saying this out of concern and not trying to be condescending in any way. I would just hate to see you unable to run and do something you love because a bunch of us amateurs are trying to tell you what's wrong with your foot, which all require different types of treatments and where proper treatment of one injury can aggravate another. Our feet are very complex and even professionals have to take their time and push, pull and prod on them to determine the injuries. :flowerforyou: