Cutting out the back of your shoe to relieve pain from the achilles.

Ive workedin a runnign store and for the last 2 years and have never heard somthing like that before. But if it works and people can proove it and tell me how to do it it would be a very helpful bit of info for customers.

I thought it was the cushion behind the heel that you take out so that it does not rub against and irritate the achilles, then put some duct tape where you tore it.

yes, that is what i am am talking about, but I'mnot exactly sure how to do it.

This is effective in treating either achilles' bursitis or heel spurs (calcified bump at the back of your heel). Probably won't be effective for true Achilles' tendonitis (pain farther up the tendon itself, not at the back of the heel).

Like the man said: Slice the entire heel down to the midsole with a utility knife. If, like me, you have a chronically enlarged Achilles' bursa (or heel spur), then you want to cut away some of the plastic on either side, essentially leaving a 3/8" gap removed from the entire back of the shoe. Then re-connect the heel with LOOSELY applied duct tape extending all across the heel counter area. This will give you considerable "breathing room" for your heel. The "Lite" version of this shoe surgery is to just to make a slice down the heel and leave it open, which minimizes but does not eliminate contact with the back of the foot.

When my achilles is sore the heel counter in the back of the shoe will aggravate it.

I take a boxcutter or sharp scissors and cut a V in the back of the shoe. I'll go for a walk or a jog and if it's still bothering me I'll cut some more.

I've never had a problem with the stability of the shoe staying attached to my heel.

So much for the usefulness of all those industrial strength heel counters that shoe manufacturers are so fond of.

I got a partial Achilles tear from a pair of New Balance 150 racers because the steel-cord-like tab on the top of the heel counter cut into my tendon on the downhills (foot plantar flexed). Out for three months. Now with every new pair of shoes I cut straight down the middle of the tab to the top of the heel counter. I haven't found a need to cut any deeper into the counter. Doesn't materially change the fit of the shoe in my experience. Gordon Pirie recommends removing the tab in "Running Fast and Injury Free" amid his general criticism of modern running "boot" design.

I think that the over-built heel counters are a greater risk for mid-foot strikers, as the counter tends to cut in as you land with plantar flexion (especially downhill). The heel grinders (~90% of consumers?) probably don't have this problem, so mid-foot strikers must be on the defensive in this respect, as the shoe companies don't care.

Also, as I run increasingly "minimalist" anyway, I have tended to buy up a 1/2 size on my shoes generally, to eliminate chafing and impingement of my natural foot movement. This is especially important on longer runs in warmer weather where foot swelling becomes an issue.

I used to cut out the back of the heel to relieve achilles tendon pain. Just took a knife and slit the mid-point of the heel down about an inch.

Before that though, try two things:

1. Extra arch support.

2. Build up the heel; first with one pad, then two pads, then three pads or until the pain is gone when you run. I had to reverse my shoe laces to keep my shoes on one time when I needed three pads. My heels were almost out of the shoe. But the pain was relieved and I could run fine.

I used to get the same problem, but the bad news is, the shoes aren't the problem at all. You get sore in the achilles when your quads, glutes, and the rest of your leg and body are disproportionally strong compared to your achilles. You get sore, and you develope a bursitis-like pain, and you can get a calcification like a bone spur, but the real problem is higher on your body. The real thing to do is have a good coach look at your form, your training, and your strengths, and develope for you a plan to add balance- add coordination- and decrease the amount of pain you're bound to feel from having chronically sore achilles.

For example, sprinters can tear- actually rupture- their achilles, and they never blame their shoes. Football players, too. So, for you, maybe if you think of yourself as a skinny distance runner, you're actually a lot stronger than you thought!

There are TWO different achilles-related issues here:

1) Achilles *bursitis* (pain upon touch at the attachment on the heel, relieved when walking in sandals or loose shoes)

2) Achilles *tendititis* (pain on the tendon itself, relieved by using heel lift to keep achilles from extending full length).

Cutting the shoe usually only relieves (1), but can work as a cure, as the inflammation subsides when teh shoe no longer impinges on the area. Heel lift relieves (2), but rarely cures in and of itself, other action must address strength/flexibility issues in the calf area.