what is the best way to cut the heel counter out of a pair of running shoes?

You would take the advice of a bunch of people on a runner's forum whom you've never met, and start butchering your running shoes when you don't understand what it is they're talking about, and yet you won't go see a doctor about your problem? Have you stopped to calculate the cost of ruining a pair of running shoes and following hairbrained remedies from people you're never met that may lead to a worsening of your self dignosed condition vs the cost of making an appointment to see a podiatrist - someone who will look at your legs and feet and make an intelligent diagnosis? Sheesh. By the way, I'm a psychologist, and I think you need to give yourself a lobotomy. That'll be $2000; I do accept Paypal.

Well, thanks...I will not have time to go the doctor this week, so I'm trying to do the best with the resources that I have right now. I figured some other people on letsrun have had similar probs and might be able to help (though likely not as much as a physician). I have several old pairs of shoes in reserve (that I will probably end up throwing away anyway) on which to practice. I'm definitely not THAT crazy to just chop up a brand new pair of running shoes...lol...but, seriously, if anyone has any advice on this, I would be greatly appreciative!!!

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removing heel counter, 426,000 hits, some helpful

I've had a similar problem on my left ankle/foot off and on the last couple years. Sometimes the area around where the tendon meets the heels becomes very swollen and tender then it goes away. After doing some research I've settled on a program of icing and stretching, and it seems to be keeping the problem under control. I had been using a gel pad under the heel for a while but have not used it lately.

I don't think I ever came across any recommendations to cut the heel counter out of my shoe, but I was mostly looking at articles on running and medical web sites - not relying on user forums. The idea of mutilating your shoes seems kind of nuts to me, but I'm neither medical expert nor running shoe designer.

I had achilles tendonitis for 25 years. The fix was----DON'T BUY SHOES WITH HEEL COUNTERS. Now I'm cured.

Honestly, I understand that you should be wary about trusting strangers on letsrun, but I received more useful information here than I did from doctors. Generally speaking doctors do very little to diagnose or treat achilles problems.

I had the same problem for 15 years. Nothing worked and I spent my days wearing mules to work and hobbling at the start of every run. Then I found the Nike free and within a month the problem cleared. Now I wear Frees for all my training and have not had a problem for 3 years. If you can't face going straight to the Free 5 or 3 then the Free 7 feels more like a normal trainer but has the soft heel you are looking for.

I have 'doctored' a lot of heels myself over the years with mixed results. If the overlays on the heel are simple then its not too much of a problem, but lots of shoes have multiple overlays, nylon bits etc which can get very complicated. Doesn't work as well as the Frees anyway.

Hope this helps.

Best to just buy shoes with no heel counter. There are several out there. New Balance has a nice trail racing shoe that has a very minimal but tough fabric upper.

I have had the same problem for about 6 months and have seen podiatrists and physios. Icing and stretching helps, but the MOST help is to wear running shoes with soft backs, such as Nike Frees. Also make sure none of your ordinary work/casual shoes have hard backs either. My trail shoes are Salomon Fellraisers which have a lower back and they don't catch my boney bit on the heel!

I just came across this video that gives a few options (cutting the back right down the middle, cutting out a hole from the outside of the shoe, or putting a special pad inside the shoe).

I had what I thought was insertional Achilles tendinitis (sore when I wake up then fine after walking a bit; sore when I first run but then goes away; pain is right where the tendon inserts in to the back of the heel; a bit of a bump at insertion point). Latest diagnosis from a doctor is I have a heel spur that pushes into a bursa that gets irritated by the back of the shoe and the tendon rubbing against it. Looks like that's also called "pump bump" and "Haglund's deformity".

For me it was 8 weeks off of running (I ended up doing Jillian Michaels videos and riding a bike on the weekend) and doing a lot of stretching. My bump is still there today, it's still sore in the morning and a few hours after runs, and I still need to stretch every day and ice after runs, but I am now able to run 8 miles at a time. I did go from minimalist shoes (vibram 5 fingers) to a little less minimalist (saucony fastwitch 8s, 14-18mm thick with a 4mm heel-toe drop). The doc said to raise the heel to lessen the tendon rubbing on the bursa. They have a plastic heel. I run forefoot and the heel only bothers me after several miles when my feet swell, so I'll be trying to cut them open from the back later today.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YfeiYEyPw3o

Soon your mom will come into your room and tell you that dinner is ready.

What's the heel counter?

confused??? wrote:

Well, thanks...I will not have time to go the doctor this week, so I'm trying to do the best with the resources that I have right now. I figured some other people on letsrun have had similar probs and might be able to help (though likely not as much as a physician). I have several old pairs of shoes in reserve (that I will probably end up throwing away anyway) on which to practice. I'm definitely not THAT crazy to just chop up a brand new pair of running shoes...lol...but, seriously, if anyone has any advice on this, I would be greatly appreciative!!!

Don´t worry. You just faced one of the obligatory LRC idiots.

I've done this, but the problem is, depending on how thick the back of the shoe is, it can really rub and dig in when you take a step, leading to blisters lower down on your heel.

I was going to mention Nike Free - they have the softest backs out of any trainers I've ever had. They're essentially slightly reinforced material rather than plastic/anything hard (depending on the model you have).

TBH I never had much luck cutting shoes. Tried making a few cuts in the back of some to relieve pressure, it just ends up really rubbing. Either you have to cut it so low it doesn't hurt or rub any more, but then the trainer has trouble staying on your foot, or you cut it so it doesn't cause any pain initially, but the problem is over time it rubs.

Good luck anyway.

Google "running sandals"

track chick wrote:

TBH I never had much luck cutting shoes. Tried making a few cuts in the back of some to relieve pressure, it just ends up really rubbing. Either you have to cut it so low it doesn't hurt or rub any more, but then the trainer has trouble staying on your foot, or you cut it so it doesn't cause any pain initially, but the problem is over time it rubs.

Good luck anyway.

For over three years now I've been babying retrocalcaneal bursitis/insertional Achilles tendonosis. The only way I've managed to stay running at all is by completely chopping the heels out (all the way down to the sole) of my everyday walking around shoes, which are all retired running shoes. This way there is no pressure at all on the heel about 23 hours out of every 24. I have not been able to get that to work with running shoes, however; as track chick says, if it's cut out enough to offer real pressure relief, the foot slides all around in the shoe and causes all sorts of other problems. I've never made it more than half a mile running in my chopped-out shoes, but they work great for everyday wear.