I had been battling a case of plantar fasciitis and used a pair of Brooks Adrenaline GTS 15s to return to running after the acute phase of the injury was over. Coincidentally, I had a new pair of Nike Free 4.0s sitting in the closet. I was nervous to try them as I figured they would be the wrong way to go, coming back from PF. However, a big part of my PF re-hab was an extensive strengthening and mobility program to improve my foot strength (in conjunction with strength work for the hips, glutes etc.).
Long story short, I was at a point where the PF was on the road to recovery, but slowly. One day I decided to do a short run in the Frees (6 km). It went surprisingly well and I used the Frees the next day. And so on… I very quickly got to the point where I was doing five out of seven days on the Frees, including long runs and some speedwork), and the other two days on the Brooks. What surprised me was how the final healing of my PF sped up dramatically at this point. I am sure it owed a lot to my extensive re-hab work, but I think the shoes helped further develop the foot strength and function (at least they didn’t hurt!)
I feel that running In “less†shoe is generally good, as it helps more fully strengthen and develop the anatomy, particularly the foot. However, I think that how quickly one can transition to this is highly dependent on their body’s current state (strength of underused foot muscles, injuries etc.) In my case, the I started using the Frees once I was well on the road to recovery, which I believe meant that I already had improved certain functional strength factors. Going to those shoes earlier on when the injury was more acute may have been exactly the wrong thing to do.
Also, each minimal + lower drop shoe has its own characteristics and fit will still be user-specific. The Frees work well for me, as the fit is really comfortable to my foot, particularly in the toebox. I know that minimal and low-drop do not automatically go together, but I think most shoes that tend towards minimal construction TEND to also be low drop…