An irritated Achilles wants less stretch under load — and heel drop is the lever. A higher drop (8–12mm) raises the heel relative to the forefoot, shortening how far the tendon has to lengthen on every stride. Soft heel cushioning matters too, especially for heel strikers. The picks below come from SoleHunt's engine run with an Achilles-aware, heel-striker profile — favouring traditional higher-drop trainers over the low-drop and zero-drop shoes that tend to aggravate the tendon mid-flare. Ease back into low-drop footwear only once the tendon has settled.