Fins avoid Achilles tendon pain

To avoid painful pressure on your Achilles tendons and Achilles tendinitis, choose fins that strap on your legs, not on your feet. These comfortable fins give you extra power without hurting or damaging your Achilles tendons. They also tend not to aggravate an existing Achilles problem, if you use them sensibly. You may also find that they help with your Achilles rehabilitation after injuries and operations. Check with your doctor and/or physiotherapist first of course, and read these tips.

Foot fins give many people sore Achilles tendons for a few reasons. The heel pockets of closed-heel foot fins often dig into your Achilles tendons. This causes painful sores and bruising. You get similar problems with open-heel foot fins, as their heel straps dig into your Achilles tendons too. Furthermore, foot fins tension your Achilles tendons to hold your feet at an unnatural angle to point the foot fins for your kick. This strains your Achilles tendons. After a while, the Achilles pain builds up. Your Achilles tendons can stay sore long after you leave the water.

You can test this for yourself by swimming without foot fins. You will probably find it doesn’t hurt your Achilles tendons so much. Most likely, this is because you are kicking with less tension in your Achilles tendons, as you no longer need to hold the foot fins pointed.

Fins on your legs promote a similar kick to swimming without fins. So they don’t hurt your Achilles tendons. Plus they overcome many other foot fin faults, including toe cramps, foot pain, ankle strain and calf cramps.

Here are three key reasons why choosing fins that fit on your legs avoids Achilles tendon pain and injury.

Firstly, fins on your legs strap just above your ankles. This direct connection to your legs gives you extra fin power without increasing tension in your Achilles tendons. So fin power does not transfer through your Achilles tendons and ankles like it does with foot fins.

Secondly, these fins don’t force your Achilles tendons to point your feet unnaturally like foot fins do. Instead, your Achilles tendons are relaxed and supple, like good swimmers kick without fins.

Thirdly, the strap goes around your leg above your ankle. This is higher than the sensitive part of your Achilles tendon where it attaches to your heel. Furthermore, the strap is comfortable, stretchy and wide with soft edges. So the strap doesn’t press uncomfortably into your Achilles tendon at your heel like foot fins do.

Your Achilles tendons will feel much more comfortable with fins on your legs.