In this article, we have reviewed the best walking boots for Achilles tendonitis. If you are in a hurry, the table below gives a quick snapshot of the top ones.
Contents
Have you recently started feeling mild pain above the heel or the back of the leg after doing some running? You might have injured your Achilles tendon.
Achilles Tendonitis is very common. It occurs most frequently in the age group of 30-50 years[1].
If you are putting a repetitive strain on your Achilles tendon, especially when running, jumping, or walking, you are at risk of inflaming it[2].
You should watch the below video to know more:
If you have Achilles tendonitis, your podiatrist might suggest a range of treatments, including rest, switching to a less strenuous sport, using heat and ice to massage the area, and elevating the injured part every day for a few hours[3].
You can also use a walking boot to restrict heel movement completely for a few days. In this article, we have reviewed the best walking boots for Achilles tendonitis. Let’s check them one by one.
Our Top Choice – United Ortho Calm Walker Boots
The United Ortho USA14115 Short Air Cam Walker Fracture Boot, Medium, Black is our top choice for Best Walking Boots for Achilles Tendonitis because of the following reasons:
- Rocker sole and shock absorbing insole promotes natural walking.
- The air bladder offers customized compression to increase comfort.
- A wide footbed provides increased comfort and stability.
- Plastic mold upright with steel reinforcement gives better durability.
- Sole promotes a natural gait to walk comfortably.
Best Walking Boots for Achilles Tendonitis
#1 United Ortho Calm Walker Boots
United Ortho Calm Walker Boots is our top choice for the best walking boots for Achilles tendonitis. The shoes are made with a rocker sole that gives better stability to your feet and promotes a natural gait.
Features and Benefits
- Sole: the shoes are made with a rocker sole that helps to promote the natural gait. The shock-absorbing insole reduces the impact of heel strike while walking and allows for more comfortable movements.
- Footbed: the wide footbed of these shoes provides increased stability, comfort, and accommodation. It ensures maximum stability and support to your feet when you wear these shoes.
- Comfort: The air bladders offer custom compression as well as increased comfort and support to your feet.
- Sturdy: the shoes are made with plastic molded uprights with steel reinforcement that provides increased stability. This reinforced plastic shell and upright support better protect your feet.
Why should you buy it?
Suppose you have an ankle sprain or ankle fractures. In that case, you can wear these boots for daily purpose as they are made with a rocker sole that helps to promote the natural gait, and the shock-absorbing insole reduces the impact of heel strike while walking, which gives you a more comfortable walking experience and also tries to put the less strain on your ankles.
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#2 BraceAbility Walking Boot
These shoes are our second choice for best walking boots for Achilles tendonitis. The shoes are specifically designed to provide mobility, protection, and support with their rocker sole and wide toe band that further ensures more flexible movements.
Features and Benefits
- Sole: the shoes feature a rocker sole that allows giving a more natural grip. The shock-absorbing and cushioned boot liner and extra soft pads enable better comfort for long hours.
- Design: the lightweight and low profile design of these shoes are ideal for Achilles tendonitis sufferers. Its 3 straps adjustable system gives you a comfortable and secure fit.
Why should you buy it?
If you have any kind of swelling on your feet, you can choose to wear these boots. They have a lightweight and low profile design that allows room for swelling and puts less strain on your ankles.
#3 United Ortho-Air Walker Boots
United Ortho Calm Walker Boots provides full support to your feet as they are made with a rocker sole that gives better stability to your feet and promotes a natural gait. Its shock-absorbing insole reduces the impact of heel stride while walking.
Features and Benefits
- Sole: the rocker sole of these helps promote the natural gait and gives better cushioning to your feet. The shock-absorbing insole reduces the impact of heel strike so that you can walk comfortably in these walking shoes.
- Footbed: the wide footbed of these shoes provides increased stability and comfort. It ensures maximum stability and support to your feet when you wear these shoes. Moreover, the wide footbed gives a better fit and is ideal for the sufferers of Achilles tendonitis.
- Compression: The shoes are designed to offer better compression as their air bladders offer custom compression as well as increased comfort and support to your feet.
- Stability: the walking shoes are made with plastic molded uprights with steel reinforcement that provides increased stability. This reinforced plastic shell and upright support better protect your feet.
Why should you buy it?
If you are looking for walking boots that give better support to your feet, then you must try these walking shoes. The shoes have a wide footbed that ensures maximum stability and support to your feet when you wear these shoes.
#4 MARS WELLNESS Air Cam Walker Boots
These shoes are designed with an advanced beveled edged sole to promote natural gait and give your feet better relief to heal from a broken toe and other foot pain.
Features and Benefits
- Comfortable: These shoes are designed with foam liner for extra comfort. The fastening straps ensure better grip and prevents shoes from slipping. Moreover, the rocker sole that gives more natural movements.
- Air Bladder: the boot provides compression to the foot. Designed with a push-button quick-release air valve, the shoes give a better relief to your feet.
- Proper Fit: these Mars boots fit perfectly on either foot and work for both men and women. These boots are made to ensure proper fit. You can get extra relief by placing the air bladders around the ankle area.
Why should you buy it?
If you often suffer from ankle pain, then these boots can be an ideal choice for you. The boots have a rocker sole that gives more natural movements.
#5 United Ortho Walker Fracture Boot
The walking boots provide maximum stability and support to your feet with their shock-absorbing insole, reducing the impact of heel strike while giving better relief from the pain of Achille tendonitis.
Features and Benefits
- Natural Walking: the shoes are designed to promote natural walking with their rocking sole. The shock-absorbing insole of these boots is designed to give relief and comfort to your feet for long hours and to let you use these shoes for daily walking and other activities.
- Design: the walking boots are made with foam form liner that assures better comfort to your feet without putting much pressure on them. The shoes have removable straps that can easily be removed as per your convenience.
- Sturdy: the walking boots have reinforced plastic shells and upright support, making these shoes more durable and gives better stability and protection to your feet.
Why should you buy it?
Those looking for ideal footwear to get some relief from their feet pain must try this pair of walking boots as they are designed with rocking sole and shock absorbing midsole to promote natural gait and comfort your feet for long hours.
You might like to read: Best Walking Boot For Broken Toe
#6 SB Superior Braces Walker Boot
These orthopedic walker boots allow you to adjust your desired level of compression. The easy release technology gives comfort and is a good option for those suffering from soft tissue injuries.
Features and Benefits
- Non-skid Sole: the shoes are made with a non-skid sole that gives better protection to your feet. The rocker sole promotes natural gait and is shock-absorbing, which gives comfort during continued daily use.
- Low profile design: the shoes are lightweight and have a low profile design that gives greater stability and support to your feet. These low-profile shoes are ideal for ankle and foot injuries and will help to reduce your pain.
- Liner: the shoes feature an inflatable liner with easy release technology and easy to manage fastening straps so that you can easily put on and off these shoes.
Why should you buy it?
If you are recovering from any foot injury, then these walking boots can be your ideal choice. These shoes are lightweight and have a low profile design that gives greater stability and support to your feet. Moreover, its non-skid sole gives better protection to your feet.
#7 Aircast SP Walking Boot
The Aircast SP (Short Pneumatic) Walking Boot limits mobility while recovering from injury. It’s designed to protect and provide pneumatic support for foot and ankle problems, sprains, soft tissue injuries, forefoot, midfoot injuries, plantar fasciitis, and metatarsal fractures, bunionectomy, and other postoperative use.
Features and Benefits
- Low rocker sole: The walking boot’s low rocker design ensures a natural gait while walking, even though the foot is completely immobilized from movement internally. The walking boot is large enough for dressing to be put inside for comfortable movement.
- Universal fit: The Aircast SP Walking Boot can be worn on both the right and left leg. It is made from a lightweight and semi-rigid shell, which is trimmable to allow for more space as needed.
- Customizable: The walking boot comes with a hand bulb air pump, which you can use to customize the amount of support that you need
Why should you buy it?
The lightweight, semi-rigid outer shell of this boot has an anterior air cell that is pre-inflated and adjustable Duplex air cells at the malleoli that can be separately inflated to give the user a total contact fit and support. This makes the cast especially useful for a heel, ankle, and Achilles tendon injuries and
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Buyer’s Guide: Best Walking Boots for Achilles Tendonitis
Buying the best walking boots for Achilles tendonitis is one important decision for the protection of your feet. This can be a daunting task as you need to consider certain factors when choosing the best walking boots for Achilles tendonitis.
Support and Cushioning
An essential factor to consider while buying walking boots is the amount of cushioning and support it gives. People with Achilles tendonitis should buy shoes with support to help reduce pain while walking. You must ensure that the shoes offer proper heel cushioning so that your heels will feel less pressure during movements.
Design
The design of your walking boots should also be given priority. Avoid buying ill-fitting (too narrow or wide) shoes. The shoes with a wide toe bed and strap design are ideal as they give better comfort and support for long hours. Going for boots with the wrong design and fit can cause certain problems like blisters, bunions, and ankle pain.
Rocker Sole
The sole of the walking boots must ensure natural foot movements. Most of the shoes for the sufferers of Achilles tendonitis have a rocking sole that promotes more natural movements and is capable of providing good shock absorption to your feet for long hours. Finding the right shoes with a comfortable sole is essential to wear your shoes for long hours.
Right Fit
If your walking boots do not give you the right fit, then there are chances that it will hurt your feet and can invite numerous foot problems. To get the right amount of comfort and support, you must make sure that your shoes give you the right fit. Furthermore, you must get those lightweight shoes as it helps you run fast if you are a runner and can cause less pain and put less pressure on your feet.
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Frequently Asked Questions: Best Walking Boots for Achilles Tendonitis
Can shoes affect Achilles tendonitis?
A flat arch in your foot can put a strain on the Achilles tendons. Moreover, obesity and tight calf muscles can also put more strain on your tendon. However, running or walking in worn-out or wrong fit shoes may enhance this problem and make it even worse. So, in that case, the right pair of shoes is important to get relief from Achilles tendonitis’s pain.
Should I stretch a sore Achilles?
If you have Achilles tendonitis, then one of the best exercises to perform is stretching your tendon. But you must ensure that you are doing it for the right type of Achilles tendonitis because if you stretch it in the wrong way, it may worsen your pain and enhance your problem.
Should you massage a sore tendon?
Massaging therapy may help decrease the swelling and improve circulation and restore mobility to the area. The friction caused by massage therapy can stimulate collagen production in damaged tendons and heal the area rapidly.
How long does Achilles tendonitis take to heal?
Inflammation in your tendon doesn’t always have to be very serious. Sometimes, rest and ice can heal the problem in a few weeks (four to six weeks, depending on the severity of the pain).
You should be really careful about avoiding treatment and letting the problem grow to become a regular occurrence. In this case, you need to do a proper root cause analysis of the issue.
There might be a problem in your running track, your favorite running shoes, or even your treadmill. In any case, be very careful and take precautions to let the inflammation heal completely before resuming physical activity.
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Conclusion
If you don’t want your problems to aggravate, a walking boot for Achilles tendonitis is the best. It supports your foot, helps alleviate pain, and does not restrict your movement.
In our opinion, the United Ortho USA14115 Short Air Cam Walker Fracture Boot, Medium, Black is the best choice among the various options that we have considered because the shoes are made with a rocker sole that gives better stability to your feet and promotes a natural gait.
The BraceAbility Short Walking Boot - Orthopedic Medical Walker Cast for Broken Toe Injuries, Sprained Ankles, Metatarsal Stress, Post-Op Support Left or Right Foot Fracture Shoe Fits Men and Women (M) is our next best choice because these shoes are our second choice for best walking boots for Achilles tendonitis. The shoes are specifically designed to provide mobility, protection, and support with their rocker sole and wide toe band that further ensures more flexible movements.
If you are looking for a value for money option, you can also consider the Superior Braces (Size Medium) Low Top, Low Profile Air Pump CAM Medical Orthopedic Walker Boot for Ankle and Foot Injuries, Male Shoe Size 7 1/2-10, Female Shoe Size 8 1/2-11 1/2, which offers great value and features at a very reasonable price point.
We also address the question “Do You Need Crutches With a Walking Boot?”
References:
[1] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15922917/
[2] https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/achilles-tendinitis/symptoms-causes/syc-20369020
[3] https://www.healthline.com/health/achilles-tendinitis#treatment
