are they related?

[lefty16]

In July of 2010, i suffered a Grade 2 sprain of my right ankle, did my physio, rehab and whatnot, and got back into sports. More recently, since November or so, I have been suffering from pain and stiffness of the Achilles. I seem to have restricted movement in the ankle, and when running, or when I first get up in the morning, the achilles is really stiff and often painful. It also clicks and crunches when I rotate my ankle, which the left ankle does not do. Any idea what this could be, is it related to the sprain, and treatment ideas?

[Heidi]

Hi
Yes they are probably related. When the ankle was sprained it is normal for the calf muscles to tighten up to protect the ankle. This limits the range of motion at the ankle which must be restored fully after injury to prevent future problems.
It sounds as though you have a typical case of achilles tendinopathy: http://www.sportsinjuryclinic.net/cybertherapist/back/achilles/tendinitis.htm
This can be caused at least in part by tight calf muscles.
So my advice is to rest from anything strenuous (i.e. running or even lots of walking), stretch the calf muscles - both gastrocnemius and soleus - several times a day and if possible get some sports massage as this will help with flexibility of the calf muscles and will also break down any adhesions in the tendon itself. It will also increase the blood flow to aid healing.
Have a look on the page above for more ideas.