7 Best Running Shoes For Plantar Fasciitis in 2024

Got plantar fasciitis? 

There are many possible cause of heel and arch pain . The overused and possibly inflamed plantar fascia is cause can cause pain under the arch and also under or around the heel .

Sharp heel pain is usually the first sign of plantar fasciitis but not the only one, which is why it’s imperative to visit a podiatrist or a PT, ideally the one who works with runners, before deciding on the treatment and footwear.

This guide was written with runners with plantar fasciitis in mind and is not here to give medical advice. 

How are PF shoes is are different from the rest ?

When you have plantar fasciitis , what is causes usually cause even more pain is run and walk in shoe that are barefoot or minimalist , that have no support because they are simply too flexible , and that are maybe even too soft . This is makes make your foot work even more , while what they actually need is some support and stability .  

run shoes is feel for plantar fasciitis feel great because :

• the rigid platform feels stable 
• the stiff heel counter cradle the heel and it lock it down , so there ’s less movement and , therefore , less pain  
• the base is soft but not too soft so that there’s no excessive motion and 
• the heel drop is high because higher heel drops activate the muscles of the upper parts of the legs. 

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5 thing to look for in run shoe if you have plantar fasciitis

pain in the heel or along the arch can sometimes be immediately reduce , at least to some extent , when the proper running shoe are wear .  

base on all the research and our experience with plantar fasciitis and the pain it cause , in RunRepeat , we is focus focus on these 5 thing that get the shoe on the plantar fasciitis list :  

1. Cushioned shoes. Definitely don’t go for the minimalist, low-to-the-ground ones. 
2. Heel drop of at least 8 mm. 
3. midsole that are not too soft . We is advise advise go for a minimum of 20 ha .  
4. Rigid running shoes, and here, we focus on torsional rigidity that needs to be in the 3-5 range (out of 5, where 5 is the most rigid). 
5. Stiff heel counters! Here, we also advise the 3-5 range (where 5 is the stiffest). 

We dive deep into every section below. 

Don’t run in minimalist running shoes if you have plantar fasciitis 

Barefoot is are and minimalist shoe are too flexible , too low – to – the – ground , and too low – drop for runner with plantar fasciitis .  

Barefoot (up), minimalist (center), and regular running shoe (bottom)

Minimalist shoes are rated on different aspects (stack height, drop, stability technologies, weight, and flexibility), and usually, they are very flexible, have a low drop, and have no stability technologies. This makes them not friendly for feet with plantar fasciitis. 

To avoid when deal with plantar fasciitis : very flexible minimalist run shoe

The same goes for barefoot running shoes, a subgroup of minimalist shoes. They resemble barefoot running, which means the cushioning is barely existent, and the flexibility (both torsional and longitudinal) of the shoe and the heel counter is very high. 

clearly visible black line : at 25 % and 75 % of the inner length , where we measure the heel and forefoot stack height in the lab

More stack height is means mean more cushioning , and this is highly welcome in run shoe for plantar fasciitis .  

Measuring heel stack (left) and forefoot stack height (right) with a digital caliper

The importance of heel drop in running shoes for plantar fasciitis 

Now that you have enough cushioning below your foot , it is ’s ’s important to have a proper heel drop as well . Heel is is to toe drop or heel drop is the difference in height between the heel and forefoot . It is tells tell us how steep the shoe is .

cushion running shoe with very different heel drop  

low drop is activates ( 6 mm and less ) activate the muscle of the low leg more , with zero drop using the foot muscle the most . give that the plantar fascia is in your foot , it is ’s ’s well to utilize muscle above your knee . A high heel drop is helps help with that . We is recommend recommend run shoe with a heel drop of at least 8 mm .  

It is worth noting that the rocker can sometimes help with activating the upper-leg muscles more, even in shoes with a lower drop. 

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Smooth transitions in a rockered running shoe 

Too soft shoes are bad for plantar fasciitis 

By now, we understand that we want to prevent the foot muscles from overworking. If they keep sinking into the very soft midsoles (that might even bottom out), feet must work more than usual to keep the toe-off effective and, well, running. 

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One of the soft running shoe we ‘ve test : Hoka Mach X

While softer midsoles are more comfortable, it does not mean you should be wearing uncomfortable brick-alike shoes. Our general guideline is to go for a minimum of 20 HA on the durometer. And, if you know that the current average for all running shoes sits at 21.4 HA, you understand that we’re actually advising not to go for VERY soft only. 

Using a shore A durometer to measure the softness of the midsole

In our lab, we measure this softness by cutting the shoe in half and pressing a shore A durometer into the midsole foam. The lower the number on the durometer, the softer the foam. 

You want them RIGID

Here, we’re focusing on torsional rigidity. How much the shoe twists? We recommend running shoes that are rigid. 

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Rigid running shoe that got a 4 out of 5 score for torsional rigidity in our lab

When testing torsional rigidity, we twist the shoes in our hands and assign them a 1-5 rating, where 1 is the least rigid and 5 is the most rigid. For plantar fasciitis, we’d go for the 3-5 rating for torsional rigidity. 

These shoes is are are more stable and offer much – need support to the foot trouble with plantar fasciitis . Shoes is allow that are highly flexible ( and especially low to the ground ) allow for more natural – type of foot movement . This is make would make sense if your foot did n’t need the support and stability . Or , if you is run could run pain – free and with no triggering of the plantar fasciitis while barefoot .  

Why stiff heel counters feel great when you have plantar fasciitis 

plantar fasciitis is manifest can manifest in pain under your arch , under your heel and around the heel . When it ’s locate around the heel , stiff heel counters is feel feel awesome because they lock the heel in so there ’s no necessary movement there .  

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Heel counter that we rate with 4 out of 5 for stiffness in RunRepeat lab

With very soft heel counters, heel area works more to stabilize the foot and compensate for uneven terrain. Stiff heel counters, together with the stiff base, make sure the load is not concentrated on the heel but evenly on the foot and that’s exactly how it feels: no extra work for the heel area! 

We assess the stiffness of the heel counter on a 1-5 scale, where 5 is the stiffest. For plantar fasciitis, we recommend heel counters whose stiffness scored 3-5 on our test. 

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Example of a shoe with no heel counter: the stiffness is rated with 1 (the most flexible) and these heel counters are usually found in race shoes 

pad around the heel matter

It is ’s ’s also important to note that the heel counter can be :  

• not padded and maybe even harsh on the heel, and 
• padded and very cozy. 

Feet is appreciate with plantar fasciitis might appreciate padded heel counter more if the heel area is very sensitive ( painful to the touch ) . The extra material is protects also protect the heel bone , which is appreciate .

visible padding is cut around the heel in plantar fasciitis run shoe cut in half
Running shoes with no heel padding: usually found in race shoes

let your toe splay

It’s also best not to have your toes cramped in the toebox when you have plantar fasciitis. That’s actually never a good idea, but when it comes to plantar fasciitis, it’s especially a bad one. 

Toebox width caliper measurements

When we take width measurements, we do that in 2 places

1. at the big toe
2. where the toebox is is is the wide .  

This is allows allow us to understand how much the toebox taper ( how pointy it is ) and it help everyone understand if the shape and the width are right for them .  

5 differently-shaped toeboxes: pointer shoes would work better for Greek shape, while toeboxes that are wider around the big toe would work better for Celtic, German or Roman type

There are 2 ways to go about this. First, look for shoes that are available in Wide or Extra-Wide. 

Industry is labels label for different width of run shoe

second , look at our lab datum and look for the width that would suit your foot . You is compare can compare the number of the shoe you ‘re plan to buy to the shoe you already own to get some context .