While recovering I have been researching running shoe type as it relates to Achilles injuries. There is a lot of conflicting info out there, this is what I understand.
While injured it is best to use a cushioned shoe with high heel to toe drop and possibly a heel cup to prevent over stretching the Achilles and allowing it to heal.
Once injury free, it is best to use a light, minimalist type shoe with lower heel drop that will ultimately strengthen the Achilles tendon and surrounding muscles.
I guess you got it right. I spent a month and a half recovering from it doing gym workouts and, later, running a little bit. I used the Asics 11xx for it. Now that it's feeling much better, I'm running with Nike Montreal (Nike MTRL+), which is very similar to my marathon shoes, Nike Lunaracer+.
for me (N=1), I thought exactly that also -- start with high heeled and cushioned shoes, then transition to more minimal. However, after the severe achilles problems I experienced were resolved, I spent more than a year transitioning down to a minimal shoe and it never eliminated my achilles discomfort. I finally threw in the towel and went back to higher heel, more cushioned shoes and my achilles discomfort went away quickly. For me, the whole minimal thing is a myth. Or maybe my achilles are so old and beaten up that there's no going back to minimal. My advice is to choose shoes based on your own experience rather than what online forums tell you to do.
Chooch wrote:
for me (N=1), I thought exactly that also -- start with high heeled and cushioned shoes, then transition to more minimal. However, after the severe achilles problems I experienced were resolved, I spent more than a year transitioning down to a minimal shoe and it never eliminated my achilles discomfort. I finally threw in the towel and went back to higher heel, more cushioned shoes and my achilles discomfort went away quickly. For me, the whole minimal thing is a myth. Or maybe my achilles are so old and beaten up that there's no going back to minimal. My advice is to choose shoes based on your own experience rather than what online forums tell you to do.
N=2. I'm back in shoes with a higher drop, too, after going through the minimal experiment, which was extremely effective with ridding me of chronic pf, but my achilles paid the price.
Thank you for sharing your experiences. I bought some nike frees but think I will now be exchanging them for other shoes with higher drop.
I think if you're achilles is more than just an acute problem, going minimalist is a mistake. Age and training history are important factors to consider.
How about the Nike Structures? I have found that shoe to be a very safe option and was considering going back to it after running in my Asics Gel-Nimbus for a while.
Higher than 9mm?
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