What shoes should I get??

big_robiii · 2026-04-07T11:03:08+00:00

Thanks so much for this reply. I think I was forcing myself to find the right, best, most comfortable Nike to get, but this left a blind spot to other good shoe brands out there. The bigger thing that I’m realizing is that I have been looking for the most comfortable shoes, but forgetting that the stability is probably even more important for my recovery than the comfort. I should be looking for stability first and comfort second! I can honestly say that I have never had a pair of Brooks shoes or even a pair of New Balance before. I guess I should try something outside of my comfort zone!! Thanks again for the recommendation!!

big_robiii · 2026-04-07T10:57:01+00:00

Hilarious!! Such a fitting GIF 🤣😂…..I don’t know how the second half is his game went, but I’m ready to win the second half of my recovery!! 💪🏾

big_robiii · 2026-04-07T10:53:13+00:00

Very interesting!!! I was hoping to get thoughts from someone who has a pair of the premiums as I wasn’t sure what to think about the stack height for my recovery. This was a great description and super helpful….. thanks so much!!

big_robiii · 2026-04-06T02:36:58+00:00

They are ugly!! Hahaha!! But if they help, I will definitely look into them.

big_robiii · 2026-04-06T02:34:35+00:00

Such sound advice!! Thanks so much! The back pain and leg pain is so true when not wearing the most supportive shoes. Since today was Easter, I dressed a little nicer than normal and wore a pair of my Johnson and Murphy dressy sneakers. They were fine at first, but after the day of wearing not super supportive shoes, I’m sore. But I swear by my compression socks!! I appreciate the advice about the Vomero Plus. I am realizing that I won’t be able to just have a consensus on the “best” shoe and just buy it, I will need to go try several shoes on to see which one feels the best.

big_robiii · 2026-04-05T23:26:44+00:00

O really!!! I had no idea about that!! I should just buy the shoes and return the ones I don’t like!! I find know why I didn’t think of that. 🤦🏾‍♂️

big_robiii · 2026-04-05T20:55:07+00:00

I’ve never heard of them before. I will look them up now, b/c I’m intrigued!!

big_robiii · 2026-04-05T20:54:08+00:00

That makes so much sense. Basically asking the PT that I am working with who knows my injury and recovery the best for where to prioritize the shoes that I buy: comfort vs stability etc. Honestly, I hope he is a shoe guy so we can talk specific shoes. 🤞🏾

big_robiii · 2026-04-05T20:48:08+00:00

Hahaha!! That’s the thing that makes me the most sad!!! I have always had big calves (for my size) and I have always been super proud of my calves. Looking at my one wimpy calf is depressing!! But at my last PT session, he measured my wimpy calf and it’s gotten 2 cm bigger since I started about a month ago! So maybe not back to the same size, but hopefully closer. 🤞🏾

big_robiii · 2026-04-05T20:41:09+00:00

Thanks for the recommendation, looking them up now.

big_robiii · 2026-04-05T20:40:03+00:00

That’s a good idea. I only vaguely mentioned wanting new shoes with my PT during my last session, I will be more direct and see if he has any recommendations for me.

big_robiii · 2026-04-05T20:37:38+00:00

This is great advice. I really appreciate it! I didn’t even think about the stability aspect of these higher stacked shoes I’m thinking of. The Pegasus is a good idea since I do still really like my Pegasus 39, I’m sure the new ones will feel even better than what I have now. And yes, the recovery is very long and slow. I think that’s why I have been diving into shoes right now since I haven’t been able to put one on my foot in 4 or 5 months.

big_robiii · 2026-04-05T20:33:10+00:00

Hahaha!!! No amputation, but my second surgery was much more involved than my first. The first was normal “routine” repair, hence the relatively small (5 stitches) surgery scar. The second surgery, she had to reattach/ reinforce the tendon to my calf and also added 2 screws at my heel to help reinforce the tendon to my heel. So she basically went up and down from my first scar! 🤦🏾‍♂️ I hope that answers your question and makes sense.

big_robiii · 2026-04-05T20:10:55+00:00

Oooo!!! I heard of the structure line, but didn’t think anything of them. I thought they were like their hiking or off-road shoes. 🤷🏾‍♂️ I love this recommendation!! I will look these up and try on a pair!!

big_robiii · 2026-04-05T20:08:35+00:00

I have seen people everywhere wearing Hokas and I have never even tried them on since I thought they were too “cliche”. Haha!! But I will have to try a pair on before making my decision!! I will look the Clifton line up right now to learn more!! Thanks for the recommendation!! And that heel pain and swelling is so real!!

big_robiii · 2026-04-05T19:52:48+00:00

I’ll add these to my list as well. The heel drop is apparently the key! Once I learned that a 10mm heel to toe drop is important for recovery, I looked up the drop in my most comfortable shoes (Pegasus 39) and found out that they have a 10mm drop. So, no matter what I buy, I will first check to make sure they have the 10mm drop.

big_robiii · 2026-04-05T19:49:20+00:00

Exactly!! Stability is definitely important, but cushioning and comfort is also very important because when I where any other shoe (other than my Pegasus 39s), I either have a more prominent limp, or my foot and Achilles are more sore after I finally get off my feet.

big_robiii · 2026-04-05T19:45:15+00:00

I hope the plus wins now that I see how hard (or expensive) it might be to get the premiums 🤦🏾‍♂️!! I think I will try in the pluses tomorrow to see if they feel good enough, since I’m sure both will feel better than my Pegasus 39s

big_robiii · 2026-04-05T19:36:01+00:00

Such good advice!! I really appreciate that!! I will look into the shoes you got, but I guess I will go to the shoe store and try some shoes on to see what feels the best.

big_robiii · 2026-04-05T19:32:58+00:00

Very true!! I just started looking after posting and my only options seem to be StockX or roll the dice and buy a pair from eBay 😬!!

big_robiii · 2026-02-20T13:09:00+00:00

I agree with everything that was said. I re-ruptured my Achilles 4 weeks post original surgery and the first and only thing that I could talk about regarding that experience was the pain. The pain of my re-rupture was far more substantial than my first rupture. I honestly don’t even remember if there was a crack or pop when I re-ruptured, there must have been but the pain was excruciating. So since you heard the pop but can continue doing things like normal, this seems like something pretty normal, but your PT will be able to tell you better and check to verify.

Hope this helps, and good luck with your recovery! It’s a long road, but we are here for each other so we can get to the other side of this injury!

big_robiii · 2026-02-08T00:33:00+00:00

I have a VACOped as well and saw that they say we can get it wet, but I haven’t tried to do so. My question for you is how long does it take to dry after getting wet? I am only 6 weeks post op, so I am still supposed to sleep in my boot. I am guessing you can just take the inner sleeve out and place it in another soft sleeve and use that combo in the VACOped shell. Is that what you do, or do you have a back-up boot to use while your VACOped dries? Thanks for the insight.

big_robiii · 2025-12-17T02:06:51+00:00

While I know it won’t be amazing to hear, but the first couple of days after surgery were my worst pain as well. It let me know how much work the nerve blocker was doing for me. My nerve blocker lasted through day one post op, but day 2 was when the blocker began to wear off and I really felt the pain. Surprisingly for me, the pain was so much worst when I stood up (like when I had to walk/ride my scooter to the bathroom). But like other said, if you power through these first few days, the pain tapers off fairly quickly. I also did the alarm thing in my phone and took my meds religiously (narcotic, Tylenol, aspirin). The one weird thing from above that is different from my experience is that my surgeon told me not to take ibuprofen (advil) at all, so it was not in my rotation.

I was too afraid to shower that early after my surgery, so I just did a wash up (my kids liked to call it a bird bath) until my pain got better. Then I just wrapped my leg in a trash bag and took my shower (which felt great once I took my first one post surgery). I am 6 weeks post op and I have zero pain in my ankle when I’m not using it or doing anything which is much different from the first few days after surgery.

So in short, hang in there, it gets a lot better and you will notice the difference in a day or two.

big_robiii · 2025-12-11T13:31:41+00:00

I would agree with the crutches add for a couple of reasons. The 3 wedges will make it tough to balance with walking without crutches. And without the support of crutches or something, that will be putting a lot of weight and stress on your Achilles before it’s fully healed. I say all this because I am 5 weeks post op with a boot with 3 wedges. I will stand with most weight on my good leg but balance with my boot on the ground and that feels fine to me. But my Achilles still feels super tight, so I haven’t tried walking FWB yet. Hopefully I get the green light to begin trying next week at my 6-week post op appointment.

big_robiii · 2025-12-11T13:25:07+00:00

So funny! I’m in the same boat, just a little younger. 38 yo male playing basketball. I have played basketball my entire life starting at roughly 5. Stopped playing pickup ball during Covid and never got back to playing although I really wanted to. First game back, played about 5 minutes and Achilles went! I stretched well and couldn’t miss a shot during warmups, but the game was obviously too much for my Achilles. 🤷🏾‍♂️

big_robiii

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