Your foot or ankle has been aching for a while now, maybe in your heel, your arch or the back of your ankle, and it has not cleared up the way you hoped. When running matters to you, long-term pain can be frustrating and wearing. Many people with long-term foot and ankle pain keep running, with a plan that builds strength and manages load over time.

Why foot and ankle pain can linger

Common causes of longer-lasting pain in runners include the plantar fascia, the thick band along the sole of your foot, and the Achilles tendon at the back of your ankle. These tissues adapt slowly, often over months rather than weeks. Pain that lingers does not mean damage is getting worse. It often means the tissue needs a steady, gradual build-up of strength.

Tendons in particular tend to respond well to loading. Complete rest can leave them weaker, so they may flare up again when you return to running.

Running with pain you can manage

You do not always need to stop running. Research on Achilles tendon pain found that people who kept running, while keeping their pain within agreed limits, recovered just as well as those who stopped, and they stayed active throughout.

A simple guide many people use:

• Pain during running stays at around 3 out of 10 or lower.
• Any pain after running settles by the next morning.
• Pain and stiffness are not building from week to week.

If you are within these limits, you can usually carry on. If not, ease back a little.

The next-morning check

Morning stiffness is common with heel and Achilles pain. How your foot feels for the first few steps the morning after a run is a good guide to whether you did too much. If it is stiffer or sorer than usual, make the next run shorter or easier.

Adjusting your running

Some changes that can help over the longer term:

• Keep most runs at an easy, conversational pace.
• Build distance gradually, adding only a little each week.
• Choose flatter routes, as hills load the Achilles and arch more.
• Leave out speed work and sprinting until things are steadier.
• Allow at least a day between runs if your pain flares easily.
• Rotate between two pairs of running shoes if you can.

Strength makes a difference

Building strength in your calf and foot is one of the most helpful things for long-term foot and ankle pain. Research on heel pain found that slow, heavy heel raises helped people improve. Something to try three times a week:

• Heel raises. Rise onto your toes slowly, pause, then lower slowly over about three seconds. Build up to single-leg heel raises.
• Heel raises with your toes on a rolled-up towel, which also works your arch.
• Bent-knee heel raises, holding a worktop, which work the lower calf muscle.

It is normal to feel some discomfort during these exercises, as long as it settles by the next day. Building strength takes a few months, so steady practice matters more than quick results.

If you would like to follow along, VIDA has short videos of heel raises you can use at your own pace.

Shoes and surfaces

Running shoes with some heel cushioning can ease the load on your heel and Achilles. If you have recently changed to a flatter or more minimal shoe, switching back for now may help. Softer surfaces, like park paths or trails, can feel kinder than pavements.

Cross-training

Cycling and swimming can keep your fitness up on days when your foot needs a break from running. Hip and leg strength work, like bridges, sit to stands and lunges, helps your whole leg share the load.

If you would like to follow along, VIDA has short videos of bridges, sit to stands and lunges you can use at your own pace.

Everyday foot care

Supportive shoes around the house, rather than going barefoot or wearing flat slippers, can help on sore days. Gently moving your ankle before getting out of bed can ease first-step stiffness.

Tracking progress

Long-term pain often improves in small steps, with some ups and downs along the way. Keeping track can help you see the bigger picture. Your VIDA pain check-in is a good way to notice how your foot or ankle is changing over weeks and months.

What to take away

• Long-term foot and ankle pain often means tissues need strength, not rest.
• Running can continue if your pain stays manageable and settles by the next morning.
• Use the next-morning check to guide your running.
• Slow heel raises, three times a week, are a key part of recovery.
• Build up gradually and expect progress over months.

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