I have a friend that has transitioned to running only in VFF due to chronic injury in the past. It seems to have worked for her as now she is able to avoid chronic shin splints. However, her achilles seems to always have inflammation as well as her feet swelling up like watermelons. The swollen feet seem to just show up, whereas the inflammation in the achilles is usually following a hard run. Her cycling volume is also relatively high right now, and her running volume has been pretty consistent for the last 3-4 months. I’ve read past posts about cleat position and tight calves being the culprit for the achilles pain, but what about the swollen feet/ankles?
For the Achilles, she should get a Trigger Point roller (the bigger one in the kit) and roll the calf every single night. She needs to roll inside, middle and outer calf. She should do this religiously.
Then she should do eccentric stretching on the calf. Instructions on the link below. She should try to do 3 sets of ten eccentric stretches. The first set should be with the toe pointing straight at the back of the stairs. The second is with the toe pointed in and the third with the toe pointed out. She should work her way up to being able to do these sets 3 times per day.
The swollen feet is bit of a mystery to me. I have heard of taking foot ice baths after runs. If it is caused by sudden increase in activity, it should resolve itself as fitness gets better. However, swelling can be more serious if persistent. If it continues even after the stretching and rolling, she should see a doc.
http://www.marathon-training-schedule.com/stretching-for-running.html
So, she was having chronic injuries … and now she is having - another overuse/chronic injury … hmmm.