I’ve been having some Achilles pain this last week (not a full-blown injury yet hopefully) and I want to avoid making it worse. I need some advice.
So a quick history. I got achilles tendinitis in both legs several years ago from doing hill runs. It healed after lots of rest (leading to being depressingly out of shape) and lots of massage treatment. I stopped exercising for the most part. (I also had wrist tendinitis, so I was generally a mess). Things generally and slowly improved.
Fast forward several years. I’ve been wearing a nothing shoe for walking (Skechers go-walks). I walk every day with my dog. I wanted to start getting into shape again, so decided to start running. And yes, I’m starting slooow. But back pain has been a struggle and running in my Skechers feels like crap (0 support, 0 stability). So I went and got fitted at running room with a pair of stability Mizuno Wave Inspire 15, with a 12mm drop. The shoes felt great initially and my back pain disappeared. But immediately I noticed knee pain. No biggie. That’s normal adjusting to a stabilizing and cushioned shoe. Mizuno Wave Inspire had so many good reviews. Such a great shoe, etc etc. Then suddenly WHAM. A day after a run (3 weeks into training) I was doing some light stretching and my Achilles shouted in pain out of nowhere! Hot, inflamed. All the crap I remember from years ago. So I backed off and did some cycling and walking over the weekend. No pain. Maybe it was a freak thing. I decide to go for a light walk in my Mizunos this morning and heat kicks on in my heal. Halfway through my walk the Achilles yells at me again. Ouch! What the heck? I limp home and scowl at my new “totally awesome” shoes.
So here’s my question. How come I feel no pain in a low drop nothing shoe, but have immediate discomfort with a high drop high stability shoe, which seems to contradict most literature I can find on the web? I called running room to ask if they’d consider an exchange and the woman just sounded confused. “But Mizuno Wave Inspire is recommended for Achilles pain,” she protested. “I know,” I replied. “So why is it causing pain where before there was none?”
Another part of the story is that I used to use ASICS for working out but found they too aggravated my Achilles. They have a tight heal and would rub and inflame that area immediately. I found switching to new balance was good for my cross training because they have a wider heal without the pinching heal things. I liked Skechers because they also had a flat wide heal that left my achillles alone. But when I tried new balance running shoes in store, they compressed the top of my foot painfully.
Any wisdom or insight would be appreciated. Thanks!