👉 Steph mentions running shoes with a heel-to-toe drop. Here are some examples available on Amazon: ✅ Saucony Ride (men) - 8mm drop: geni.us/HWaPpAi ✅ ASICS Gel-Kayano (men) - 10mm drop: geni.us/sIMCa ✅ Brooks Ghost (men) - 12mm drop:geni.us/rYJbc ✅ Saucony Ride (women) - 8 mm drop: geni.us/m2OJPI ✅ ASICS Gel-Venture (women) - 10mm drop: geni.us/12A7e8 ✅ Brooks Adrenaline (women) - 12mm drop: geni.us/DsDN If you buy anything via these links, we may get a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Good point about how adding a heel can make the cup too tight on the insertion area. I definitely noticed this when I tried putting a lift to take some strain off my insertional tendinopathy.
Thank you very much, this is extremely useful information. As a zero drop runner it's great to hear a balanced view of the considerations, options and approach to choosing a shoe
The highest drop is the clue for healing insertional achilis tendonitis , even the slippers in the home should be with a high heal ,avoid walking or running bare foot or with zero drop shoe ..this is my experience with long suffering from insertional achilis tendonitis ..
I have A.T. on my right foot for several years now. If you are looking for a good pair of shoes/sneakers try the New Balance 878 It has become my favorite pair. I can stand and walk for hours around the city with minimal to no pain at all. Highly recommended.👍
Excellent channel, I feel like I'm on the road to recovery and this channel is the biggest reason why. Question, while focusing on strengthening phase I'm trying to avoid extra 'load' activities, but sometimes life happens.. like snowboarding or going for a hike with friend. For activities like that, does warming up and/or doing some stretching before starting the activity help, or just add to load.
Warming up won't really make much difference because it is usually the length of the hike or the terrain you're on that is causing the load on the tendon and if it is a lot more than what you've currently built up too in rehab then it will likely cause a bit of a flare-up. You can sometimes help your tendon to better cope with it by avoiding high load exercises and activities the day before a hike (so the tendon goes into the hike fresh and rested).
That is a clever idea - perhaps consider putting one under both your heels so your legs are even when you walk - if you lift only one side it can cause you to be a bit lopsided.
Great video, I was just wondering where I could get the highest heel drop? Since I’ve put heel cups in my shoes there’s been less pain and stress in my Achilles. Thank you
I’m healing an insertional achilleas tendonitis after a marathon ran in Altra Vanish carbon. I used to run in torin for preparation, escalante and provision, but no clue what to do when i will be cleared to run again. Nike pegasus 38 was my go to before altra. Should i go back to them?
Your physio should be able to help you assess this - sometimes it is not just the shoes but also how well your preparation was for the race etc. that plays a role. So take the shoes in to your next appointment and ask them as they know all the details around your specific case.
I am not a runner, but I walk all the time because I have no car. I also have no idea what zero drop shoes are. But my Achilles problem is back after 8 years and am asking what brand of walking shoe is best for this problem. I have Sketchers, Abeos, and Danskin clogs that feel ok but not sure if they are right for the Achilles issue. Thank you😊
Its not so much about the brand because brands make different types of shoes but more about if the shoe has a bit of a heel on them. If you look at your sketchers - are the heel higher than the toes? Flat shoes = zero drop because the heel is at the same level as the front of the foot. Clogs are often very flat so they may not be great. I can't comment on the Sketchers or Abeos as I don't know what type you have. From a running shoe point of view (which may be good for walking as well) Asics and New balance or Brooks all make shoes with a higher heel than front of foot. But you have to check which model you buy. The heel to toe drop is usually included in the specs of the shoes.
Hi, I have had haglunds deformity for almost 15 months now. I have done a good job with rehab and actually got back to my full sport (I have only been able to use shoes that are soft in the back of the heel), with my football cleats I cut a big hole in the back to not put pressure and irritate it which worked very well. But now I wonder, do you think that my “pump bump” could take “normal” amount from pressure from normal hard heeled shoes? Or is it with haglunds that you always have to have soft heeled shoes? Can I ever go back to tough hard shoes? Thx
Can this condition be 'cured'? Or once it develops will it always be a problem? Started out of the blue at 38 two years ago. I assumed that it would just get better by itself in time, but that hasn't happened. It’s hard to walk very much nowadays at all. I've just bought some Brooks Adrenaline 24. I really hope they will help as this condition is really quite disabling for me.. I'm not a runner.
It can be cured but if you've had it for 2 years, you have to be prepared that the full recovery period (from the moment you start the correct rehab) can take 9 to 18 months. So it is not a quick fix but you can definitely get back to being pain free again. I share the best evidence-based treatments that apply to everyone in this video: th-cam.com/video/H1nfgU1amvg/w-d-xo.html If you want help figuring this out and with getting back to your normal activities, this is something that our team of physios can assess and help you with via video call. You can read more about how the online consultations work here: www.treatmyachilles.com
Would the authors or any readers have a view on suitability of carbon plate supershoes (in my case Adizero3)? They have a decent drop and 39mm foam under heel, but I’m concerned about their stiffness. I’m managing a mild tendinopathy, marathon in 2 weeks. Thanks in advance and much appreciate this channel and expert content.
They are meant to help propel you forward so I should think that they reduce the load (and therefor help) on the Achilles, but I don't know of any research into this.
Coming from another track athlete that has been dealing with this, do not force it. It’s better to sit out meets especially this early on to heal properly than to force it and injure it worse.
That is sound advice - if you allow this acute flareup to properly calm down you may be able to stop this from becoming a dragged out recovery process.
I strained both of my Achilles tendons in September of 2022. After months of pain, it’s finally subsided in January of 2023. I feel no pain when running or lifting when I’m not thinking about it, but since I’m worried about it happening again when I do think about it I feel random pain that goes away as quick as it came. I got new shoes in September but they were the same thing I had before just new ones. Could this pain randomly occurring be a mental thing?
Absolutely! It is very common for Achilles pain to have a mental part to it and we even sometimes refer some of our patients to a sports psychologist (when we realise that the rehab is indicating someone should be able to run but for some reason they are not able to) who helps them get over the fear/worry and then they can get back to running without any further rehab needed. One way for you to calm that effect down is to make yourself conscious of the fact that the pain is not linked to injury and how often you actually feel little niggles like that in other parts of your legs while you run.
I just remembered - Alison is doing a couple of videos about this in the next few weeks - one also where she will be interviewing Caroline Marlow who is the sports psychologist we often work with so keep an eye out for that.
I just bought Oofos sandals and i think my heal drops worse now that there is more support on the bottom of my foot. I have chronic mid achilles tendonosis. Has anyone else had no luck with Oofos? Kind of disappointing
I have oofos clogs for work in the hospital, I'm not sure if they are the cause but they definitely made things worse. They have zero ankle support and are very wide so no foot support for narrow feet
I was having IT band issues and heard the zero drop would help. Switched to running with zero drop for a couple months and quit having issues. However now I have been having a sore achilles, this is good information to know. I may have to switch back and forth to hopefully build strength in different areas. Trial and error.🤷♂️
I started using zero drop Altras without any preparation and they totally killed my Achilles…on both feet! I finally discovered that was the likely problem and went back to the highest drop I could find. It was an instant remedy! I bought the well known Brooks Ghost shoe, which has one of the highest drops in the industry. No problems at all since then! I will never wear zero drop shoes again. It’s just not worth it, plus, I think they’re ugly! 😃
Your issue is that you used the zero drop shoes without any preparation! No wonder you ended up with sore achilles and calves. You should have eased your way into the zero drop shoes over several weeks with progressively lower drop shoes or with progressively lower height heel wedges. Then, the first time you wear the zero drop shoes, just run for a few hundred metres and see how you feel the next day. You can also put progressively smaller heel wedges in your zero shoes. Doing it like this will gradually condition your calves and achilles. Going back to high drop running shoes and saying you will never use zero drop shoes again is a mistake, as your calves and achilles will never get an opportunity to become strong for the demands of running. Higher drop running shoes also place more stress on the knees and hips and increase the risk of ankle sprains.
@@totallyraw1313: You need to learn to read, before responding. You didn’t have to say a word, because I had already covered the cause in my original comment. Zero drop shoes are also ugly as hell, unless you enjoy looking like you’ve got your shoes on the wrong feet. If that’s what you like, have at it! 😏😂
Yeah, my understanding is that zero drop shoes are like the “walk barefoot as much as you can” ethos; meant for strengthening healthy feet but not for recovering from an injury.
@Poco Pico I did read and comprehend what you wrote. You realised that your sore achilles was due to wearing zero drop shoes without preparation. Your mistake was going straight back to high drop shoes because even if you think zero shoes are ugly, they are good for your body overall. Enjoy having weak calves and achilles tendons!
@@totallyraw1313: So in other words, since YOU like zero drop shoes, EVERYONE should like zero drop shoes, whether they like them or not? I think your opinion of yourself is overly inflated. But you’re the one who has it wrong. I have zero pain, since I was wise enough to get rid of zero drop shoes. You go on wearing your zero drop shoes and looking like a clown if you want. Not sure where you came up with me having “weak calves,” but nothing was said about that! LOL
👉 Steph mentions running shoes with a heel-to-toe drop. Here are some examples available on Amazon:
✅ Saucony Ride (men) - 8mm drop: geni.us/HWaPpAi
✅ ASICS Gel-Kayano (men) - 10mm drop: geni.us/sIMCa
✅ Brooks Ghost (men) - 12mm drop:geni.us/rYJbc
✅ Saucony Ride (women) - 8 mm drop: geni.us/m2OJPI
✅ ASICS Gel-Venture (women) - 10mm drop: geni.us/12A7e8
✅ Brooks Adrenaline (women) - 12mm drop: geni.us/DsDN
If you buy anything via these links, we may get a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Super cool. I just ordered a pair of Saucony Ride yesterday. I’m excited to give it a try
Good point about how adding a heel can make the cup too tight on the insertion area. I definitely noticed this when I tried putting a lift to take some strain off my insertional tendinopathy.
Thanks for sharing!!
Thank you very much, this is extremely useful information. As a zero drop runner it's great to hear a balanced view of the considerations, options and approach to choosing a shoe
You're very welcome!
The highest drop is the clue for healing insertional achilis tendonitis , even the slippers in the home should be with a high heal ,avoid walking or running bare foot or with zero drop shoe ..this is my experience with long suffering from insertional achilis tendonitis ..
Thank you for sharing!
I have A.T. on my right foot for several years now. If you are looking for a good pair of shoes/sneakers try the New Balance 878
It has become my favorite pair. I can stand and walk for hours around the city with minimal to no pain at all.
Highly recommended.👍
Thank you for sharing!
Excellent channel, I feel like I'm on the road to recovery and this channel is the biggest reason why. Question, while focusing on strengthening phase I'm trying to avoid extra 'load' activities, but sometimes life happens.. like snowboarding or going for a hike with friend. For activities like that, does warming up and/or doing some stretching before starting the activity help, or just add to load.
Warming up won't really make much difference because it is usually the length of the hike or the terrain you're on that is causing the load on the tendon and if it is a lot more than what you've currently built up too in rehab then it will likely cause a bit of a flare-up. You can sometimes help your tendon to better cope with it by avoiding high load exercises and activities the day before a hike (so the tendon goes into the hike fresh and rested).
I just just puted a long sock and foulded it and putted it under my heel in the shoe and it worked
That is a clever idea - perhaps consider putting one under both your heels so your legs are even when you walk - if you lift only one side it can cause you to be a bit lopsided.
Great video, I was just wondering where I could get the highest heel drop? Since I’ve put heel cups in my shoes there’s been less pain and stress in my Achilles. Thank you
You will have to research on the internet for different brands as they change often. It is usually part of the specs that they share for the shoes.
Are you asking about running shoes? I got brooks ghost 14 that have the highest heel drop of 12 mm.
@@mygg15 thank you, may I ask where you bought them from?
@@itsbezzi in a store in Austria (hervis), not much help to you I guess. But Brooks running shoes are hugely popular it seems.
I’m healing an insertional achilleas tendonitis after a marathon ran in Altra Vanish carbon. I used to run in torin for preparation, escalante and provision, but no clue what to do when i will be cleared to run again. Nike pegasus 38 was my go to before altra. Should i go back to them?
Have you ever taken Accutane? That drug can cause insertional achilles tendinopathy.
Your physio should be able to help you assess this - sometimes it is not just the shoes but also how well your preparation was for the race etc. that plays a role. So take the shoes in to your next appointment and ask them as they know all the details around your specific case.
I am not a runner, but I walk all the time because I have no car. I also have no idea what zero drop shoes are. But my Achilles problem is back after 8 years and am asking what brand of walking shoe is best for this problem. I have Sketchers, Abeos, and Danskin clogs that feel ok but not sure if they are right for the Achilles issue. Thank you😊
Its not so much about the brand because brands make different types of shoes but more about if the shoe has a bit of a heel on them. If you look at your sketchers - are the heel higher than the toes? Flat shoes = zero drop because the heel is at the same level as the front of the foot.
Clogs are often very flat so they may not be great. I can't comment on the Sketchers or Abeos as I don't know what type you have. From a running shoe point of view (which may be good for walking as well) Asics and New balance or Brooks all make shoes with a higher heel than front of foot. But you have to check which model you buy. The heel to toe drop is usually included in the specs of the shoes.
@@TreatMyAchilles thank you so much for this…My heel is higher in the Sketchers and the Abeos so that info helps. Thanks again 😃😀
Hi, I have had haglunds deformity for almost 15 months now. I have done a good job with rehab and actually got back to my full sport (I have only been able to use shoes that are soft in the back of the heel), with my football cleats I cut a big hole in the back to not put pressure and irritate it which worked very well. But now I wonder, do you think that my “pump bump” could take “normal” amount from pressure from normal hard heeled shoes? Or is it with haglunds that you always have to have soft heeled shoes? Can I ever go back to tough hard shoes? Thx
Can this condition be 'cured'? Or once it develops will it always be a problem? Started out of the blue at 38 two years ago. I assumed that it would just get better by itself in time, but that hasn't happened. It’s hard to walk very much nowadays at all. I've just bought some Brooks Adrenaline 24. I really hope they will help as this condition is really quite disabling for me.. I'm not a runner.
It can be cured but if you've had it for 2 years, you have to be prepared that the full recovery period (from the moment you start the correct rehab) can take 9 to 18 months. So it is not a quick fix but you can definitely get back to being pain free again. I share the best evidence-based treatments that apply to everyone in this video: th-cam.com/video/H1nfgU1amvg/w-d-xo.html
If you want help figuring this out and with getting back to your normal activities, this is something that our team of physios can assess and help you with via video call. You can read more about how the online consultations work here: www.treatmyachilles.com
Do you have different advice for court shoes?
The same principles apply to court shoes
Thank you for the quick reply and the other good info.
Would the authors or any readers have a view on suitability of carbon plate supershoes (in my case Adizero3)? They have a decent drop and 39mm foam under heel, but I’m concerned about their stiffness. I’m managing a mild tendinopathy, marathon in 2 weeks. Thanks in advance and much appreciate this channel and expert content.
They are meant to help propel you forward so I should think that they reduce the load (and therefor help) on the Achilles, but I don't know of any research into this.
Lovely accent, Steph!
She hasn’t got an accent 🤷🏻♂️
@@okantichrist She does to everyone who lives outside the UK!
@@totallyraw1313 I think you’ll find you’re the one with the accent.🤣
I just got a Achilles tendonitis from running high intensity in the street and I have a track meet in like 4 weeks, should I run
Coming from another track athlete that has been dealing with this, do not force it. It’s better to sit out meets especially this early on to heal properly than to force it and injure it worse.
That is sound advice - if you allow this acute flareup to properly calm down you may be able to stop this from becoming a dragged out recovery process.
I strained both of my Achilles tendons in September of 2022. After months of pain, it’s finally subsided in January of 2023. I feel no pain when running or lifting when I’m not thinking about it, but since I’m worried about it happening again when I do think about it I feel random pain that goes away as quick as it came. I got new shoes in September but they were the same thing I had before just new ones. Could this pain randomly occurring be a mental thing?
Absolutely! It is very common for Achilles pain to have a mental part to it and we even sometimes refer some of our patients to a sports psychologist (when we realise that the rehab is indicating someone should be able to run but for some reason they are not able to) who helps them get over the fear/worry and then they can get back to running without any further rehab needed.
One way for you to calm that effect down is to make yourself conscious of the fact that the pain is not linked to injury and how often you actually feel little niggles like that in other parts of your legs while you run.
I just remembered - Alison is doing a couple of videos about this in the next few weeks - one also where she will be interviewing Caroline Marlow who is the sports psychologist we often work with so keep an eye out for that.
I just bought Oofos sandals and i think my heal drops worse now that there is more support on the bottom of my foot. I have chronic mid achilles tendonosis. Has anyone else had no luck with Oofos? Kind of disappointing
I have oofos clogs for work in the hospital, I'm not sure if they are the cause but they definitely made things worse. They have zero ankle support and are very wide so no foot support for narrow feet
I dont run but get pain in every single tennis i try to wear to walk... End up having to choose crocs
I was having IT band issues and heard the zero drop would help. Switched to running with zero drop for a couple months and quit having issues. However now I have been having a sore achilles, this is good information to know. I may have to switch back and forth to hopefully build strength in different areas. Trial and error.🤷♂️
Thanks for sharing, and good luck with your recovery.
Oddly enough, I find lower drop shoes better than higher drop. My 4mm drop shoes don’t cause any soreness, but 8mm drop does strain my achilles
That is interesting - but also an example that proves the point that we are all different.
this is the same for me
I started using zero drop Altras without any preparation and they totally killed my Achilles…on both feet! I finally discovered that was the likely problem and went back to the highest drop I could find. It was an instant remedy! I bought the well known Brooks Ghost shoe, which has one of the highest drops in the industry. No problems at all since then! I will never wear zero drop shoes again. It’s just not worth it, plus, I think they’re ugly! 😃
Your issue is that you used the zero drop shoes without any preparation!
No wonder you ended up with sore achilles and calves.
You should have eased your way into the zero drop shoes over several weeks with progressively lower drop shoes or with progressively lower height heel wedges. Then, the first time you wear the zero drop shoes, just run for a few hundred metres and see how you feel the next day.
You can also put progressively smaller heel wedges in your zero shoes.
Doing it like this will gradually condition your calves and achilles.
Going back to high drop running shoes and saying you will never use zero drop shoes again is a mistake, as your calves and achilles will never get an opportunity to become strong for the demands of running. Higher drop running shoes also place more stress on the knees and hips and increase the risk of ankle sprains.
@@totallyraw1313: You need to learn to read, before responding. You didn’t have to say a word, because I had already covered the cause in my original comment. Zero drop shoes are also ugly as hell, unless you enjoy looking like you’ve got your shoes on the wrong feet. If that’s what you like, have at it! 😏😂
Yeah, my understanding is that zero drop shoes are like the “walk barefoot as much as you can” ethos; meant for strengthening healthy feet but not for recovering from an injury.
@Poco Pico I did read and comprehend what you wrote. You realised that your sore achilles was due to wearing zero drop shoes without preparation. Your mistake was going straight back to high drop shoes because even if you think zero shoes are ugly, they are good for your body overall. Enjoy having weak calves and achilles tendons!
@@totallyraw1313: So in other words, since YOU like zero drop shoes, EVERYONE should like zero drop shoes, whether they like them or not? I think your opinion of yourself is overly inflated. But you’re the one who has it wrong. I have zero pain, since I was wise enough to get rid of zero drop shoes. You go on wearing your zero drop shoes and looking like a clown if you want. Not sure where you came up with me having “weak calves,” but nothing was said about that! LOL