Boots to ease Achilles pain

[Mafeking09]

Hi all. I put this on the gear discussion but been advised to put it here

I’m a regular walker in Tas. Heading into Junction lake in Tas again in April. Last few years I’ve started suffering from debilitating achilles pain. I’d bought new scarpas from Mpac a few years ago as everyone loved them but end up almost crippled with pain after walking in them on last few walks. I’ve been to a podiatrist and got orthotics but need some advice Re boots. Anyone else tried other brands. I heard Vasque were potentially good as they have a less severe angle on the heel. . Anyone else got suggestions on boots that might help much appreciated. Cheers.


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[slparker]

You may well need to wear shoes for a while rather than boots. Both stiff boot shafts and stiff soles can cause and aggravate tendinopathy.
I would see a physio and get some treatment as it can respond well.

[Xplora]

I am not confident any boot will help. You really need to be looking to why you are suffering the problem. Having ruptured an Achilles I can say it is not a great experience. My other AT started getting sore as well so I started some eccentric exercises and it was sorted. Orthotics help as well but it is likely there is some degeneration of the tendon which must be addressed. You may have heel spurs or a Haglunds deformity which will possibly impact on the type of boot you wear. Generally this problem will give you pain at the insertion of the tendon on the heel. Eventually it will shred the tendon but most people get it fixed before then. If the pain is in the mid section of the tendon then that may be addressed with the eccentric loading exercises. You can also do some other strengthening exercises for muscles around the tendon. A simple one is to stand on a theraband and pull it until your toes curl then push it down with your toes. Doing calf exercises (eccentric loading) means you concentrate on the going down slow and controlled. They need to be done straight and bent knee to work both the gastroc and soleous respectively. Time maybe to see an orthopedic surgeon. An MRI should define the problem better. see also www.achillesblog.com for help.

[Mafeking09]

I am not confident any boot will help. You really need to be looking to why you are suffering the problem. Having ruptured an Achilles I can say it is not a great experience. My other AT started getting sore as well so I started some eccentric exercises and it was sorted. Orthotics help as well but it is likely there is some degeneration of the tendon which must be addressed. You may have heel spurs or a Haglunds deformity which will possibly impact on the type of boot you wear. Generally this problem will give you pain at the insertion of the tendon on the heel. Eventually it will shred the tendon but most people get it fixed before then. If the pain is in the mid section of the tendon then that may be addressed with the eccentric loading exercises. You can also do some other strengthening exercises for muscles around the tendon. A simple one is to stand on a theraband and pull it until your toes curl then push it down with your toes. Doing calf exercises (eccentric loading) means you concentrate on the going down slow and controlled. They need to be done straight and bent knee to work both the gastroc and soleous respectively. Time maybe to see an orthopedic surgeon. An MRI should define the problem better. see also http://www.achillesblog.com for help.

cheers mate. Yeah it’s a bugger. I’ve been looking st s lot of forums and it is interesting it really flared with my scarpas. I’ve got s v good podiatrist. I’ll go back to get some advice.


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[Mafeking09]

You may well need to wear shoes for a while rather than boots. Both stiff boot shafts and stiff soles can cause and aggravate tendinopathy.
I would see a physio and get some treatment as it can respond well.

Cheers. I’ll give it a go.


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[rcaffin]

Boots ... I remember those, back about 1980.

An awful lot of foot problems are solved by MEASURING your feet on a Brannock Device (any shoe store) for both size AND width, and then buying light joggers at least 1/2 size bigger, up to a full size bigger with thick wool socks, and NEVER any narrower than your measurement.

This leads to a problem. Many walkers find their feet have spread out a bit over the years, up to 4E, but a lot of the trendy brands only make their shoes in a D width. Economics you see. Putting a D-width shoe on a 4E-width foot can be hell. But now you know, it's your choice.

Archilles pain - that often means the back of the heel is cutting TOO FAR into your tendons. Change your footwear.

For the record: Sue and I are both 4E wide. We will not field test shoes narrower than this, even if they are free. We will not accept shoes with a leather outer, as the leather shrinks after a wet week. (That was kinda painful.)

Socks: Darn Tough Vermont Boot Socks via Amazon are the gold standard. They last for years.

Cheers
Roger

[Mafeking09]

Boots ... I remember those, back about 1980.

An awful lot of foot problems are solved by MEASURING your feet on a Brannock Device (any shoe store) for both size AND width, and then buying light joggers at least 1/2 size bigger, up to a full size bigger with thick wool socks, and NEVER any narrower than your measurement.

This leads to a problem. Many walkers find their feet have spread out a bit over the years, up to 4E, but a lot of the trendy brands only make their shoes in a D width. Economics you see. Putting a D-width shoe on a 4E-width foot can be hell. But now you know, it's your choice.

Archilles pain - that often means the back of the heel is cutting TOO FAR into your tendons. Change your footwear.

For the record: Sue and I are both 4E wide. We will not field test shoes narrower than this, even if they are free. We will not accept shoes with a leather outer, as the leather shrinks after a wet week. (That was kinda painful.)

Socks: Darn Tough Vermont Boot Socks via Amazon are the gold standard. They last for years.

Cheers
Roger

Cheers roger!




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[Hallu]

I had such a pain after the Razorback walk to Mount Feathertop with Zamberlan boots. They were too heavy for such a long day walk, and too stiff to deform to accomodate the shape of my heel. Since then I only wear low shoes, except when I use snowshoes, where waterproof boots are needed. But I use Solomon synthetic boots, which are lighter and more deformable. Never had that pain back since. When you have such a pain, just avoid the Italian brands like Zamberlan and Scarpa at all costs, which make heavy tough boots, that's all I can say. Go for light and malleable, or go low shoes only.