Death to old running shoes!
Just returned from my first physical therapy visit after moving to FWB last Monday. In addition to all the new tasks (balance board, step-ups, and the least dignified move in the world: walking with a band tied between the ankles to keep the hips wide), my trusted therapist played detective with my shoes. I’ve been wearing my ’second-string’ running shoes around the house, with an extra half-wedge under the heel. Actually, the right shoe of this old favorite pair has been my mainstay for many weeks now.
Bad idea.
Examining my shoes, she demonstrated to me how the apparently generous cushioning of the sole was worn out. Worse, because I habitually underpronate, the outside, back parts of the shoe were the squishiest, offering almost no support to the ankle and–hello!–to the Achilles. Then she compared the left and right shoe and pointed out that the left was even more worn in this way than the right. Because I’ve been wearing the right shoe longer, it should look better, correct? But no. The left shoe was demonstrably more beaten down. Meaning that for some time now, I’ve been pushing off harder on the left leg, in a way that stressed the Achilles tendon.
Which also means that if I had taken the trouble to have my stride properly analyzed, and to buy the right running shoes instead of whatever was on sale and fit me (true confession time), jamming my toe in a rabbit hole wouldn’t necessarily have been The End.
I took out the “better” pair of shoes I’d been wearing during the accident. Equally bad. Throwing them both away. I know charities send running shoes to developing companies, but I don’t want to be responsible for someone else’s tendinitis (or worse!).
Another silver lining to count now is that I’m determined to come out of this experience with better, more mindful, stronger physical alignment all around. I’m turning 49 in a week, and I want this body to last another 49!
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Sadly, I can’t agree more. Prior to my injuty I’d got new running shoes, but despised spending money on work shoes and prior to getting tendonitis I had been wearing some unsupportive fairly worn out shoes and had worked some really busy shifts. But plenty of other people had worked those mad work shifts spending all day racing about, yet had not got a ruptured tendon. But now I know I’m prone to it I’m just going to have to invest in decent work footwear.
Kiki - You seriously are quite comical. You bring up some great issues that I will ask my PT about once I start PT. Tell me this, what kind of heel wedges are you wearing and where did you buy them?
Do you wear a brace at all and if so what kind?
Thanks. Glad to hear you doing well.
Hi superjewgrl. I’m just re-using the two wedges that came with my brace/boot (a plain black metal cam boot, Bledsoe is the brand). My doc also gave me two more half-wedges, so as I test out different shoes to wear when I’m not wearing the boot (I’m still not satisfied) I experiment with the wedge height on each pair. Also, since I have a high insole anyway, I had a bunch of drugstore insole/heel inserts lying around before this happened; I used them in my right (good) shoe during PWB. Because they’re thinner and less rigid than the wool wedges, you can add one or two in your shoes to even up as necessary. You’ve had a long haul on this injury… excited that you’re getting closer to walking!
Sale goggles–you have them too? Glad to hear that you are sorted on footwear. I’m not skimping in that department anymore either
Happy birthday, btw! Congrats on getting into two shoes. Stay away from rabbit holes.