Best Running Shoes for Plantar Fasciitis: Cushioned Heels and Real Arch Support

For most runners, our pick is the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 25. It matches the NHS footwear advice more closely than anything else we rate: a 10 mm drop (the most heel lift of any support shoe on this site), GuideRails that hold the heel rather than propping the arch, and four widths in both men's and women's so you can get the fit right without the shoe pressing anywhere. If you want more foam, the HOKA Bondi 9 has a 41.3 mm lab-measured heel; if you want the plushest support shoe, it is the Brooks Glycerin GTS 23.

Who this page is for

You get a sharp pain in the bottom of your heel, worst in your first steps in the morning or your first mile of a run, and it eases as you warm up. You want to keep running if you sensibly can, and you do not want your shoes to be the thing making it worse.

Every shoe below is in our registry with published specs, and every spec links to the page that published it. We have not run in these shoes, we do not lab-test, and we are not diagnosing anything.

What the NHS actually advises

This page is built on the NHS plantar fasciitis page rather than on shoe marketing. Its footwear advice is short and specific:

• Wear shoes with cushioned heels and good arch support. Both halves matter, and they are different things — cushioning is foam under the heel, arch support is structure under the middle of the foot.
• Use insoles or heel pads. The NHS lists these alongside footwear, not instead of it.
• Avoid flip-flops and backless slippers. Worth reading twice if you were about to buy a recovery slide — see the section on off-run footwear below.

Alongside that it recommends rest and raising the foot, ice for up to 20 minutes every two to three hours, gentle stretching, low-impact activity such as swimming, and losing weight if you are overweight. It also says to avoid standing or walking for long periods, which is the part runners tend to skip.

The AAOS athletic shoe guide adds the fit detail: a heel counter that genuinely grips the heel, and at least half an inch of room past your longest toe. A shoe that slides on the heel is working against the support it claims to give.

Why heel drop matters here

This is the most useful mechanical point on the page. RunRepeat's heel-to-toe drop guide summarises the research as: lower drops load the ankle and Achilles more, higher drops load the knee and hip more — and higher drops may help people with plantar fasciitis, Achilles tendinopathy and calf injuries.

That is why our ranking leans toward the higher drops. The Adrenaline GTS 25 at 10 mm sits top; the Saucony Guide 19 at 6 mm sits last, despite being a good shoe, purely because of the drop. The same guide warns that a drop change of 4 mm or more needs a deliberate transition, so if you are currently in a 4 mm shoe, do not jump straight into a 10 mm one for a long run.

The Cleveland Clinic's running shoe guide makes the same point about transitions: its podiatrist warns that switching drop levels abruptly can strain the Achilles tendon or calf, so height changes should be gradual.

Drops and heel stacks compared

The two numbers that matter for the NHS advice are the drop (heel lift) and the heel stack (cushioning). Here they are side by side.

Note the Bondi 9 and Ghost Max 4: both are listed at low drops (5 mm and 6 mm) and both measured much higher in RunRepeat's lab (9.1 mm and 9.0 mm). If you are choosing on drop, the measured figure is the one that is under your foot.

Which pick suits your level

Our Level Finder maps weekly mileage to a shoe setup. With heel pain in the picture:

• Couch-to-5K: the Adrenaline GTS 25 or the New Balance 860v15. Run/walk is the kindest loading pattern you will get, and both shoes are rated for it.
• 10K: any of the top six. The Ghost Max 4's rocker is worth trying if the pain is worst when your forefoot pushes off.
• Half marathon: the Glycerin GTS 23 or Bondi 9 for the long run, with the Arahi 8 as the lighter midweek pair.
• Marathon: the Adrenaline GTS 25, Gel-Kayano 33, Glycerin GTS 23, Bondi 9, Ghost Max 4 or Arahi 8 — all rated to the distance. Build the rotation described in our rotation guide and keep the highest-drop shoe for your longest run.

What you wear off the run matters too

A marathoner runs maybe six hours a week and stands around for the other hundred and sixty. If your running shoes have cushioned heels and arch support and your house shoes are nothing, the shoes are not the problem.

Two honest notes here. First, the NHS explicitly says to avoid flip-flops and backless slippers — so an open recovery slide is not what its advice points toward, however comfortable it feels. Second, when Treeline Review tested 25+ pairs of recovery footwear, its pick specifically for plantar fasciitis was a buckled, contoured sandal (the Birkenstock Arizona with the soft footbed), not a slide. Our best recovery shoes for runners page covers the options, including the cheaper EVA Arizona.

How to choose a running shoe with plantar fasciitis

1. Get both halves: cushioned heel and arch support. A soft neutral shoe gives you the first. A firm support shoe with a thin heel gives you the second. The picks at the top of this page give you both.
2. Favour the higher drop, then transition gradually. Higher drops may help plantar fasciitis per the research RunRepeat summarises, but a change of 4 mm or more needs easing into.
3. Check the heel counter actually holds your heel. AAOS guidance is explicit about this. Arch support does nothing if your heel is moving inside the shoe.
4. Get the width right. A shoe squeezing the sides of your foot flattens the arch it is meant to support. Four of our picks come in wide or extra wide; see best running shoes for wide feet.
5. Retire worn shoes early. The NHS names old, worn shoes that no longer cushion the heel as something to avoid. See when to replace running shoes.
6. Ask about insoles. The NHS lists insoles and heel pads alongside footwear; a physiotherapist or podiatrist can tell you whether yours need them.

Common mistakes

• Buying the firmest, most "supportive" shoe you can find. Arch support is structure, not hardness. The NHS asks for a cushioned heel too, and a rigid shoe with a thin heel gives you half the advice.
• Switching to a minimal or zero-drop shoe. Lower drops load the Achilles and the plantar side of the foot more, which is the opposite of what the research points to here.
• Running through sharp morning pain for weeks. The NHS says see a GP if self-care has not worked in two weeks. Two weeks, not two months.
• Fixing the running shoes and ignoring everything else. Most of your standing happens in other footwear.