What does drop mean in hiking shoes?

Before Altra, many hikers had never considered the drop of their shoes before. The “drop” in a shoe refers to the difference in height between the heel of a shoe and the toe, also called “heel-to-toe drop.” Most shoes have a higher heel than toe or forefoot, and the drop is listed in the model specifications.

Why are zero drop shoes good for hiking?

Zero drop shoes are great for hiking because they strengthen the muscles in your lower calf which improves your natural balance and stability. Studies have also shown that they can reduce pain in the knees, which is one of the most common issues associated with long-distance hiking.

Are Zero Drop shoes good for walking?

Zero-drop shoes are good for walking because they allow your feet to sit in a natural position that helps with spine alignment, posture, and allow you to walk more efficiently. A zero-drop shoe is designed in a way that the toes and the heel have the same distance from the ground.

What does shoe drop mean?

The ​'drop' of a running shoe is essentially the difference between the height/​thickness of the midsole under the heel compared to the same measure under the ball of the foot.

Are lower drop shoes better?

A lower drop shoe may be better for knee and hip injuries while a higher drop shoe may be better for foot, Achilles tendon and calf injuries.

Hiking Boots vs Shoes vs Trail Runners - My guide to hiking footwear

What heel drop is best for knees?

You might at first choose a shoe with an 8mm drop rather than 12mm, or, you could only run a few miles a week in a low-to-zero-drop shoe to start. As you adapt to your new shoes, your stride may subtly change as well, which may further reduce knee stress.

What heel drop is right for me?

If you strike heavily with the heel, a high heel-toe drop is likely a good choice for you. The lower the heel-toe drop, the more it will encourage striking the ground with the middle or front of the foot first.

What is a 12mm drop in shoes mean?

A drop of 12mm would mean that the heel sits 12mm higher off the ground than the forefoot. The importance of the HT drop value is that it's thought that the lower it is, the easier it will be to land on your midfoot or forefoot while running.

Is 10mm drop a lot?

The go-to heel drop is considered to be 10mm.

There's no science to back this, it's just the most common heel drop when it comes to standard running shoes. It's a good starting point and if you want to take this road, take into account one factor only: your health condition, injury-wise.

What heel drop is best for flat feet?

One of the problems with flat feet is that your PT is in overdrive to try and lift your arch… so send PT a bit of love and get a shoe with a decent drop. A 10-12mm heel to toe drop is a good amount.

Who should not wear Zero Drop shoes?

"Although not everyone with flat feet suffers from foot pain, people with flat feet overpronate, which means their arch collapses for abnormally long periods of time during the gait cycle." Thanks to the lack of support their arches are getting from zero drop shoes, this prolonged overpronation can lead to plantar ...

What drop is best for walking shoes?

Some may appear to have a higher heel, but the heel of your foot actually sits lower inside the shoe. Look for shoes with a heel drop of less than 8 millimeters (though 4 millimeters or less is best).

Is zero drop better for hiking?

Proponents of zero and low-drop shoes say that the style can provide a more stable platform for each footstrike, and help with balance. It's also said that a zero-drop shoe helps runners and hikers have a more natural, efficient stride and that a zero-drop shoe can help emulate barefoot running.

Who is a zero drop shoe good for?

Zero-drop shoes keep feet in a natural position. That, combined with the generally wider toe box design, lets runners stretch, roll, and bend their toes and feet easier. Thus, the shoes increase their stability when they land on their forefeet.

Are Zero Drop shoes good for low back pain?

A zero-drop shoe is simply one that doesn't have a variance in height between your heel to your toe. Again, there may still be cushioning around your foot to give you support, but your heel-to-toe ratio is protected. These are both great shoe options that won't aggravate your back pain further.

Are keen shoes zero drop?

Does KEEN make a zero-drop shoe? KEEN does not offer any zero-drop styles at this time. We don't have exact heel-drop measurements available for our products, but the average heel lift on a KEEN shoe is 10-15mm. Our lower-profile CNX outsole offers more ground feel with about 3-4mm of heel-toe drop.

Does shoe drop matter?

The lower the drop, the more a shoe will help promote a midfoot strike—considered by many to have a lower impact stride than a heel strike. Keep in mind that the lower the drop, the more your Achilles tendon will have to work.

Is 8mm heel drop a lot?

A high heel-toe drop (over 7 mm) is best for runners who land heel first, have issues with their Achilles tendon, or who often wear shoes with an elevated heel. A low heel-toe drop (from 0 to 6 mm) is best for runners who land on the middle or front of the foot.

Is 4mm heel drop good?

Some runners prefer a lower drop i.e. 2mm-4mm and is typically built into racing shoes. The lower the drop, the better it is for runners who are midfoot to forefoot strikers.

How do you measure shoe drop?

First of all, one needs to know what the “stack height” refers to; and that is simply a measure of how much material is between the bottom of your foot and the ground. Now, measuring the stack height at the heel and the toe and subtracting those numbers, will give you the heel-toe drop.

What is considered a low drop shoe?

Less than 6mm drop: low drop that is getting close to a barefoot stride. Best suited to runners who run regularly and whose forefoot or midfoot hits the ground first.

What is an 8 mm drop?

Also known as the heel-to-toe offset, the 'drop' is the difference between the heel and forefoot thickness. For example, if a midsole has an 18 mm thick heel and 10 mm thick forefoot, it would have an 8 mm drop. Running shoes often go through a cycle of fads.

Is less heel drop better?

A low heel drop encourages a midfoot or forefoot strike.

The result is a more stable landing platform, along with better balance and muscle engagement. This beneficial biomechanical shift is a big appeal of barefoot and minimalist shoes.

Is heel to toe drop importance?

According to minimalists, one benefit of a low or nonexistent heel-to-toe drop is reduced risk of injury. Shoes with a large drop encourage severe heel striking, it's said, which might contribute to knee injuries.

What heel drop is good for Achilles tendonitis?

A mid-level heel drop of 6-10mm is ideal for long term relief. A rocker-shaped sole. This style grants additional support and pain relief through a gentle transition. A roomy toe box: Splaying your toes can help prevent slippage and further injury to the Achilles tendon.