Achilles/Calf Issue (Read 105 times)

Has anyone personally found whether stiff sole or flexible sole shoes are easier on the achilles? Dr Internet is all over the place on that question.

 

There is some consensus that higher drop, like 10mm or more, relieves some stress on the achilles, but there are a few counter-arguments as well.

 

Of course the results were filled with stores insisting that you need $500 custom insoles, because millions of years of evolution has resulted in a foot that you cannot run on without them.

From my personal experience with calf or Achilles issues over the years is that I do better with a greater heel to toe drop. However, I think it isn't just the shoe...... it is because we change to different types of shoes without an adjustment period. I mix in Kinvaras once a week just to add a different stress. I also encourage you to focus a lot on hip glute strength and foot/ ankle strength and mobility. If everything is strong and mobile throughout the kinetic chain your foot may strike a bit differently to more evenly distribute stress and take some stress off the Achilles.

Has anyone personally found whether stiff sole or flexible sole shoes are easier on the achilles? Dr Internet is all over the place on that question.

 

There is some consensus that higher drop, like 10mm or more, relieves some stress on the achilles, but there are a few counter-arguments as well.

I find that drop higher than 5-6mm, stiffer shoes cause me a wealth of trouble (and I curse Nike for totally FUBARing the Frees), particularly in my achilles and calves. But it definitely seems to be a YMMV thing. I also have issues with a lot of shoes that have overly curved-in heel counters, too. I'm nursing an achilles issue on my right heel that developed with a new pair of Saucony Freedom 3s. Bummer, since it's otherwise a nice shoe that fits the narrow niche of wonky footwear requirements for me.

 

You can always get in there from the inside and cut away some of the rigid heel cup, and sew it back up. I had to do that with some Nike shoes many decades ago.

You say that like I can sew, heh.

Can you glue? Shoo Goo does wonders if left to dry.

That's an interesting thought. Might be worth a try. Though the shoes are essentially brand new, so I still keep thinking I'll find someone who fits a M7/W8.5 and wants a cheap pair of like-new shoes.

I just thought I'd update where I'm at with this issue.  This running journey that we're all on really is about getting to know one's own body.  I find it interesting how some methods work for some while they can actually be detrimental for others.

I tried the various suggestions about what to do about the calf/Achilles with regard to strengthening/stretching.  For me, I found that they seemed to make it worse.  I took the advice about not foam rolling or stretching the area just to see what that would do.  I did my regular stretching/foam rolling for all the rest of my body but just left out my lower left leg.  This just leaving it alone worked in my case.  I did not stop running and didn't really change the type of runs up that much.  Gradually, it just went away.  I think I'll always have a tendency for problems in that area as I've had them before.

Not stretching/foam rolling though did have consequences.  I started to develop a click in only my left knee.  Researching online indicated this was due to a lack of stretching/strengthening.  Now that my left calf/Achilles was feeling better, I went back to my normal stretching and foam rolling along with leg extensions to help the knee track better.  Soon, the clicking and even occasional outright pain in my left knee went away.  Now both problems seem to be in the past.  I think I pushed my last pair of Bondi 6's a little too far and that may have led to my calf problems.  If I stay on top of that going forward, I'm hoping to stay healthy.

I may be an outlier on this.  I know that just leaving an injured area alone doesn't work for all body parts.  As I mentioned earlier, my sciatica totally disappeared and has stayed away by my incorporating leg strengthening exercises.  The single leg squats in particular worked wonders.  Winter and the cold seemed to make it flare up last year but I've continued to have no sciatica problems even with lots of cold weather running.

Thanks all for the advice.  I'm just 2 years into my journey back into running so I'm still learning my body.  It helps to consider the experience of others and then see what works for me personally.