Do people recommend dance sneakers vs. normal high heeled dance shoes for women?

I just started dancing about 4 or 5 months ago (tango, swing, salsa, rumba and cha cha). I have an old knee injury from highschool (torn ACL ligament). I currently bought a really great pair of Arika Nerguiz latin suede-soled dance shoes, but I figure dance sneakers are more comfy (since they're lower) and would be better for my knee. I was wondering if dance sneakers would also work with latin and swing, and do people like them in general?

What are the soles usually made of?

I'm 56 and a couple of years ago bought a pair as everyone in our circle was big on them for practice.

Big rubber sole in front. Big rubber heel in back. No arch support.

I ended up pinching a nerve in the top of my foot. Might just be my age but I'd want to know if any come with a stiff arch.

I sold mine after about 5 uses.

You can get lower heeled ladies practice shoes.

There are some examples on my seriously out of date web page:

http://www.dancingdragon52.com

OB

I've never had trouble with dance shoes. Because I saw that many of the teachers in both latin and modern who were on their feet for hours at a time were wearing a type of practice shoe named Blotch. It has a sole with a space btween it and the heel and are a unisex shoe and at first look like a pair of runners..I wear them all the time for practice. Latin Modern Street Latin and Argentine and Australian New Vogue..The space between the sole and the heel make it easy to get a high instep for Latin. I can even get what would be my big toe nail on the floor as though I were without shoes in stocking feet.
This type of shoe can be seen on Superdance Number 803 4 and 5. Mine were made in China along with my normal dance shoes.

I used mine (with an arch support inserted) when I was recovering from a foot injury. They allowed me to dance when I wouldn't have been able to otherwise. But other than for injury rehab, I don't like them. They are big and bulky and the balance is so different from dancing in heels that it's like learning how to dance all over again.

I'd recommend low-heeled practice shoes. My favorites are the Godiva practice shoe by Elegance. Got mine at dancehappy.com.