Are your running shoes shot?

One's body works more efficiently when their musculoskeletal system is balanced. In english, you may be able to run further and/or faster if you are breathing correctly while running and have the correct gear. Today's blog will focus on the shoes. Additional posts regarding proper breathing will come later.

Wear good shoes! Shoes shouldn't be considered "worn out" when they get a hole in them. The supportive structures of the shoe wear out long before the material does.

1) Take a look at the soles of your shoe, there should be plenty of tread. If the soles are looking a little worn, grab a new pair. You should also notice symmetrical wearing along the sole. If one is more worn than the other, your body is not moving symmetrically and, therefore, is not working the way it should be. If you notice this, physical therapist at CORE Services can evaluate this problem and work with you on restoring your mechanics.

2) The soles of the shoe should be supportive, yet have some movement. Grab the toe and heel of your shoe and give it a good wring and/or bend. Most of the movement should be from the ball of the foot to the toes, the midfoot should move just slightly.

3) Also, your heel counter should be nice and solid. To check this, try squeezing the area your heel sits in. Next, try to bend the back of the heel down in toward the opening of the shoe. The heel counter should be solid.

4) Different bodies need different shoes. There are four different kinds of shoes-

a) Minimalist.

This shoe is not appropriate unless you have never worn shoes everyday life. Americans wears shoes everyday for long periods of time. Our feet are not conditioned to walk without support, let alone run that way. Basically, DO NOT BUY THIS SHOE!

b) Cushion

This shoe is for people who have good mechanics and just need a little support. Chances are if you're reading this article, that shoe is not supportive for you.

That leaves our options as either a c) stability or d) motion control shoe. Stability shoes are for people who slightly pronate when weight bearing (low arches) while motion control offers a lot of stability for those with significantly fallen arches. Although clerks at running stores may watch you while you walk to see what your heel does, they do not have the training to know why your arches behave the way they do. While it can be a good place to start, if the shoes they recommended do not solve your problem, you need an evaluation by physical therapist. Notice the difference in gray foam near the arch in the pictures below.

stability=

motion control=

5) The most basic way to tell if you need new shoes is if a chronic problem returns. For example, if you sometimes have knee pain when running, and it's been (more) noticeable recently, chances are the supportive structures of your shoe are worn out and unable to do their job. 

If you have any questions or concerns with the information given in the article. Call CORE and set up an appointment. The PT will evaluate you and give you custom shoe recommendations as well as exercises if needed.

Stay tuned for more tips and tricks!

Lesley

Shoes can affect more than just foot pain

Our clinic sees patients of all sizes, ages, fitness levels, and areas of pain. Despite all of this variation among our patient-base, we have found one constant among almost all of them - their shoe choice! If you are experiencing pain anywhere in your body, especially your low back, pelvis, hips, knees, ankles, and/or feet, chances are your shoes are part of the problem.

Pain is an indication that something is not right within your body, typically stemming from a malalignment causing secondary soft tissue dysfunction. In order to restore proper mechanics and decrease pain, these proper mechanics, and therefore alignment, need to be restored. There is no other "bang for your buck" like a good supportive pair of athletic shoes. They allow your body the external support needed to allow your joints to realign and remove the abnormal irritation of the painful structure.

Tennis shoes come in three varieties - cushion, stability and motion control. Cushion shoes are generally indicated for those with perfect foot and ankle mechanics and, most likely, no pain. Stability shoes give a moderate amount of support for your foot and are generally good for moderate pronators (those with "fallen arches"). Motion control shoes give a significant amount of support and are good for those with significant pronation.

Running stores typically offer the best selection of supportive shoes and the associates have a little information as to the specifics of each shoe. Many associates may offer to watch you walk and advise which the best shoe is for your body. Be aware, these associates have little training in gait analysis and are unable to differentiate if a particular problem is coming from the hip or knee or if the problem is compensatory or not. For a more comprehensive evaluation and shoe suggestion, seek an evaluation by a physical therapist. At the very least, throw away your $3 flip flops and put on some tennis shoes (don't forget to tie them tight enough that you cannot slip them off without untying them)! 

Here's an interesting article by cnn.com discussing why flip flops are such a poor "shoe" choice.

"Flip-flops present feet with a painful problem"

Lesley