Shoe advice - Achilles

[KatintheHat]

I'm looking for peoples advice / experiences on shoes to protect an achilles that has had tendonitis - if such types of shoes exist! I know shoe choice is very much personal preference but I can't help thinking especially with road / trail shoes that there is such a choice of types / styles that some must be better than others for achilles tendons? Or am I wrong?

I'm over the tendonitis now but on road and trail I now need new shoes and can't decide whether to go for more cushioned or more minimal? I use x-talon 212s on the fell and love them.

Any opinions / experiences welcome!
Ta

[vespa]

When I had tendonitis for recovery sorbothane insoles with extra heel support

[dodgy]

I'd go for more cushioned*, personally. I had achilles issues last year, that I suspect was actually caused by a new pair of trail shoes with minimal heel cup padding. My fault really as I probably laced them over-tight as they were a bit of a loose fit on the ankle - but the lack of heel padding/stiff heel edge wrecked my left achilles for a looonng three months.

Edit:

*more cushioned heel cup, not sole. I still favour low or zero drop shoes.

[EwenM]

I had Achilles issues in 2009. Since then the biggest drop shoe I run in is Asics DS Trainers. My go-to trail shoe is the Brooks PureGrit and the X-Talons for the more serious stuff.

For me, more important is the ongoing maintenance work of regular sports massage, heel raises and single leg squats.

[philbrynmaen]

I'm with you EwenM on the ongoing maintenance work. Heel raises/drops with both bent and straight leg really help me when dealing with pain in achilles and calf muscle.

Have tried many different shoes - the key, for me, being that the heel tab doesn't touch the achilles. Even the lightest touch with a padded heel tab causes problems. If I feel the heel tab is coming into contact then I make a small slit with a sharp knife into the heel tab... which seems to help. Try to avoid this however in my best racing shoes!