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I have been having increasing amounts of lower leg problems (achilles, lower calf, ankles etc.) over the last month or so and I haven't been able to nail down the cause. My training isn't anything different than years past, and the only real thing that I can think is the culprit are the running shoes I got last fall.

Over the years I have been fitted for countless pairs of running shoes, and I usually get the same diagnosis; pronation so mild it's probably not even there. When I went in to get some new shoes they suggested either a neutral shoe or a guidance shoe. I tried on the Brooks Addiction8 (a guidance shoe) and man were they comfy, so I took them home and have been training in them this season.

Could it be that the increase from a neutral to more of a "correction" type shoe has contributed to the nagging pain in my lower legs? I've been reading a lot of articles lately that claim that high tech shoes can cause more injury than they can prevent, but I don't know enough about the science to make a solid judgment.

Since the pain has started I've been keeping it in check with regular ice and heat. Along with the typical methods of treatment I've also been thinking about moving toward a minimalist shoe, something like the Nike Free or the even more radical Vibram FiveFingers shoes. I know that many of the XC runners at the university I coach at wear similar shoes and they have a lot of good things to say about them.

Does anybody know if wearing minimalist shoes for more intense workouts (sprints, plyos, etc.) would be beneficial or potentially hazardous for my health?

Any help would be appreciated. I can live with the pain, but I'd rather not.

Aww man, my efforts to help with free shoes appeared to have failed!

I wouldn't go straight from supportive shoes to minimalist for everything. Maybe start with the minimalist ones for lower impact stuff, but stay in something with more cushioning for plyos.

See a podiatrist to get a true diagnosis of your feet if you haven't done that already. Physical Therapists and even the best running shoe guy aren't true doctors that specialize in analyzing a true foot problem if you have one. Let a podiatrist make the analysis and you might need orthodics.

The other thing to do is stabilization exercises, like one legged squatting on disc pillow or airex pad. In general work on some more one legged plyometrics too. Of course you need to heal up a bit before the plyos, but you might be able to get right into the stabilization exercises.

I've been through it and the best thing is functional training. You want to strengthen all the little support muscles and ligaments of the joints. "Normal" workouts don't trigger these stabilization muscles enough.