Author Topic: Heel Lifts and Wear Problem  (Read 551 times)

WobagUK

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Heel Lifts and Wear Problem
« on: 21:01:20, 21/08/20 »
In recent years Ive taken to putting quite a lot of under heel lifts and padding in walking shoes and trainers to help with tendonitis.  The unfortunate consequence of this is the contact point on the back of the heel to the shoe is now high up enough that its on the padded part thats supposed to engage above the heel to keep the foot in place.


...the consequence of this is that I rub through the padding to the plastic/hard material underneath in a matter of weeks, ruining shoe after shoe, and this is just light local walking.


Ive recently got some trailblazer insoles which are probably reducing movement, but I can tell shoes are headed the same way so I dont want to invest in good footware any more, it feels like throwing money away.


Any suggestions on how to break the cycle, by protecting the shoe or sidestepping the problem all together?

gunwharfman

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Re: Heel Lifts and Wear Problem
« Reply #1 on: 21:27:19, 21/08/20 »
I'm afraid all I can offer is that I too had problems when I first started serious hiking, mostly to do with blisters, I solved that by buying ladies boots. I have narrow ankles but it worked.

My boots were also wearing along the outer edges, I've solved that by putting half a trainer insert under my Sorbothane inserts. It's just enough to tilt my feet into a neutral position. My boots now wear evenly and I walk more comfortably. I tried heel inserts but they never worked for me.

I only offer this information on the basis of do you need to think differently about how you organise your feet in your boots? Are your boots the correct size, the correct width and so on? Obvious questions I know but possibly rethinking your problem might allow you to end up with a different answer?

Bigfoot_Mike

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Re: Heel Lifts and Wear Problem
« Reply #2 on: 22:58:42, 21/08/20 »
Could taping of your Achilles’ tendon help support it and remove the need for the heel lifts. You could find that the heel lifts actually cause additional problems, such as leading to shorter / tighter tendons. When my wife worked she wore heels. We found out when hillwalking that this had shortened / tightened tendons and muscles making it quite painful for her walking uphill. She had to stop frequently and face downhill to ease the pain.

Ronin83

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Re: Heel Lifts and Wear Problem
« Reply #3 on: 23:06:04, 21/08/20 »
Have you tried the opposite? Take away all the padding, put on some less cushioned shoes and lower the miles a bit?
Sometimes foot problems can be caused by too much cushioning and unnatural foot positions. Start from scratch and rehabilitate.

WobagUK

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Re: Heel Lifts and Wear Problem
« Reply #4 on: 07:38:06, 22/08/20 »
Have you tried the opposite? Take away all the padding, put on some less cushioned shoes and lower the miles a bit?


I think lockdown has taken care of the lowering miles part for me!  Still got some discomfort walking home from the shop where I had the insoles cut to fit!


[/size]Are your boots the correct size, the correct width and so on? Obvious questions I know but possibly rethinking your problem might allow you to end up with a different answer?


I can be at least be confident on size, I had a proper foot assessment at a great activity shop that confirmed I was wearing the right size, but did say I was on the narrow side for a lot of average shoes.  However I think that would only allow for lateral movement, and the rubbing part seems to be vertical movement due to the high heel placement. 


Could taping of your Achilles’ tendon help support it and remove the need for the heel lifts.


I have experimented with taping when Ive had some discomfort / longer walks planned, but not really stuck with it for every day use because it seems that would be a pain in the neck rather than in the heel!  However I will probably revisit it and maybe I can find a compromise with reduced lifts.


I also wonder how much of the discomfort originates from urban walking on hard surfaces versus rural walking, and I do plenty of the former.
« Last Edit: 07:41:32, 22/08/20 by WobagUK »

watershed

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Re: Heel Lifts and Wear Problem
« Reply #5 on: 08:39:12, 22/08/20 »
Hi Wobaguk,
Back in the early 1980's I was on a running coaching coarse in London.
The British Athletics team Physiotherapist Vivian Grisogono was one of our speakers.
there had been a spate of Achilles tendon injuries in the Athletic world then.
She explained the symptoms and how to protect against them.
The most common cause was the tendon rubbing against the heel tab of the shoe leading to a thickening and weakening of the tendon. The easiest prevention was to cut down either side of your heel tab so that the tab didn't press or rub against the tendon. The heel tab at the time was, I think, named in advertisement blub as a "heel tector" giving you the false impression that it protected the heel or tendon.
The fashion for this was brought over from the football world where it had become very fashionable, along with ludicrous mullets
She showed us how to cut down all our shoes. I did this with every running shoe I ever bought and advised friends and my athletes to do the same. I coached all events, including sprints and jumps and In the seven years I coached, none of my Athletes had an Achilles injury.
I asked her why this wasn't highlighted and changed as only one company Karrimor, designed a shoe with a dip at the tendon.
Her answer was she suspected that they would have to justify the fashion change and come clean as to why the shoes needed to be changed and the litigation costs would be to high.
First sign of problems is the tendon will thicken slightly and will feel tender when pinched in behind it.
Good luck with your injury.
 
See link attached
https://www.viviangrisogono.com/achilles-tendon/achilles-tendon-pain
 

« Last Edit: 08:47:57, 22/08/20 by watershed »

 

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