People can tolerate quite a bit of too-high saddle placement because they can point their toes if needed. So there is no downside to just moving the saddle up and giving it a try. But it sounds like your saddle has been too low for quite some time.

Pain where you describe should be thought of as a connective tissue strain - so be careful. You don't want to further damage a tendon or whatever in the process. And these types of strains can take a very long time to heal on their own.