advice please - transitioning to a lower heel drop shoe.

pearshapedmum

I have been wearing stability running trainers for about 10 years (as advised by a running store after a gait analysis). I have had a lot of knee issues/pain in this 10 years, especially when compared to the pain free years of treadmill running. I have now purchased a pair of trainers with a 4mm heel drop (coming down from a 12mm) and I find them extremely comfortable. I did 3x 10 min runs in them with no pain anywhere. I then did a 15 min run and experienced pain in my Achilles tendon/lower calf. On the next run I went back to my old trainers and had the same knee pain again but this time the Achilles tendon/calf were fine. Old shoes = bad knee, new shoes = tendon pain!

Is the Achilles tendon pain/discomfort something that is to be expected when changing shoes like this, and I just need to build up more slowly, or is this more going to turn into an injury if I continue? I really love the feeling of freedom and flexibility in the low drop shoes and don't want to give that up! Also, last summer I trained myself to go from a heel strike to a mid/forefoot strike which did improve the knee issues a little.

cheshirecatastrophe

Yes, it's pretty typical. The lower drop puts more pressure on your Achilles and calf but less pressure on your knees. You could try alternating between the shoes for a little while. Another option is to find a lighter weight shoe in the middle to transition--there are some really good light, flexible shoes in the 8mm range that might be a good middle step. Check out Saucony, or the Skechers GoRun Ride w/insole in (without insole it's a 4mm drop; with the insole it's 8. These are probably the most comfortable shoes I've owned and quite nicely priced, BTW, although they're not impressively durable.)

happyjack1976

I second alternating. When I transitioned to zero drops I did have some achilles issues, but they did finally ease up. I also eased into though, using a C25K method when running in the new zero drops. The good news is that I've run injury free for a year now - which was unheard of in those heavy old stability shoes that every running store I went to wanted me in. Good luck.

brianpperkins

http://www.runnersworld.com/barefoot-running/transitioning-to-minimalism

pearshapedmum

@cheshirecatastrophe - I will look into the skechers shoes that you suggested - thanks for the idea

@happyjack1976 - im happy to hear that you are injury free as it gives me hope that I might be too one day! I really love to run. can I ask what sort of injuries you were experiencing in stability shoes?

mwyvr

No advice from me as I just went out and bought completely minimalistic shoes with zero drop (Merrell Bare Access Trails / BA4 streets) and started running. It was a total experiment -- I had always been fitted with motion control shoes for... decades. But I wanted to check out zero drop and more minimalist and especially sock-less trail shoes because I like to run in the mountains through streams and stuff.

I think the bigger toe-box in the Merrells (than the norm for me) and toes unconstrained by socks allow me to splay them more in turn giving me support and... possibly... less pronation. I do seem to utilize my forefoot in my stride more consistently now. It's somewhat early days - I only have 200km total on the two pairs, most of that on my trail shoes - but so far so good, no knee or Achilles issues.

AmandaHugginkiss

Get some compression socks designed to relieve pain in the Achilles tendon. That will help you until they strengthen up. Also make sure you're stretching them.

scottb81

pearshapedmum wrote: »

Is the Achilles tendon pain/discomfort something that is to be expected when changing shoes like this, and I just need to build up more slowly, or is this more going to turn into an injury if I continue?

I switched to zero drop a couple of years ago and its the best thing I ever did for my running. To answer your question, yes, the pain is normal right now because your achilles tendon and calf are having to stretch out longer and do more work. During your transition time it could turn into an injury if you do not give them time to adapt. In the long term though, they will adapt and you can run all day and every day virtually pain free. So, transition smartly, give it time, and pay attention to the pain signals until they eventually fade away completely.

BalletAndBarbells

Changing heel drop can be very painful - I found this even changing down from heels to flat shoes/runners and my physio also found that I shorten my achilles by sleeping on my front with my toes pointed which makes morning walking very painful! You can ease the achilles by some simple exercises with a resistance band. Then make the transition gradually. I am now in barefoot/zero drop trainers and have found them extremely comfortable and much better for my knees (I'm hyper mobile and prone to knee injury).

Cherimoose

You can speed the transition by stretching your calves several times daily for 30+ seconds, and doing eccentric heel drops on non-running days.
Also avoid walking or standing in shoes with a raised heel, since that compresses the Achilles. That goes for work shoes too.
Running uphill puts more strain on the tendon, so avoid that initially. Downhill is ok.

pearshapedmum

thanks so much for all of your excellent comments :-)