Picking The Right Shoe For You

The process of going to your local clothing store to buy a pair of athletic shoes has totally changed over the last 5 to 8 years. Just like the Ford Model T which came in one color, black, your choice of an athletic shoe was usually black or white and came in one style. Uppers made of canvas and bottoms made of rubber. Unlike today's shoes which come with differing types of uppers from leather to canvas and combinations in between. Bottoms are made or rubber with gel, air, and other materials made as inserts to give a specific shoe more shock absorption, better fit and many claims of increasing your performance. 

This section is designed to help you make educated decisions in your shoe selections. Today's running shoes are more durable, more protective and more comfortable which makes the selection process more complicated. Walking and running, even though they are simple activities that just about everyone is capable of doing, creates forces of pressures on your legs and feet all because of the biomechanical alterations that take place in our skeletal systems during our gait patterns.

The following steps should be considered:

STEP 1:  DECIDE TO BUY A GOOD QUALITY PAIR OF SHOES. This factor is the most important factor when considering shoes. Price does not always determine a good quality shoe. Whether you are a beginning runner or an experienced marathoner, you need to have the best protection available. This includes shock absorption, motion control, flexibility and durability. A good pair of running shoes should last for 400 to 500 miles.

STEP 2: UNDERSTANDING THE BIOMECHANICS Running is a complex biomechanical process. You first strike the ground on the inside of your heel. Next, your foot rolls downward and inward as it meets the ground. Lastly, your heel begins to lift off the ground as your foot starts to turn outward shifting your weight to your toe for push off. 

STEP 3: KNOWING YOUR FOOT TYPE Most runners can determine whether they are underpronators, overpronators or normal pronators by checking their arch height. Your arch determines how your feet and legs will function when you run.

If you have a flat foot, you probably overpronate. A high arched foot means you may underpronate. Studies have determined that 70% of runners have normal arches, while 5% have high arches and the remaining 25% have low arches. 

But how do you figure out your arch height? The easiest way is the "wet test". Wet the bottom of your bare feet and make a foot print on a flat, dry surface, a piece of white paper laid on a hard floor works well to show the shape of your foot. If your footprint is very full and wide and shows no arch, you have a low arch and a flat foot. If the print shows your entire foot with a moderate curve where the arch rises off the ground, you have a normal arch. And if your footprint is very slight and curved, showing mostly the ball and heel of your foot with little of the middle of your foot, you have a high arch. 

STEP 4: MATCHING YOUR FOOT TO THE RIGHT SHOE Your foot type and degree of pronation determine the characteristics you'll need in a running shoe. One of the most important characteristics to look for is shape. You can see the shape most clearly by looking at the bottom of the shoe.

Running and walking shoes come in three shapes: 
STRAIGHT 
SEMICURVED
CURVED 

These curves correlated to your foot type determined by the "wet test". Most experts feel that 

• Overpronators should wear a shoe with a straight shape 

• Underpronators should wear a shoe with a curved shape 

• Normal pronators should wear a shoe with a semicurved shape.

Other characteristics to consider as you look for the perfect running shoe. If you have flat feet and overpronate, you need a shoe that will prevent your foot from rolling in too far, that is, a motion-control shoe. Many motion-control shoes have a straight shape that gives maximum support to your foot. A firm rather than soft mid sole: a dual-density mid sole with the denser material along the inner edge of the shoe to prevent excessive pronation: and a firm heel counter to minimize rear foot motion.

If you have high-arched feet and underpronate, you do not absorb shock very well, so you need a cushioned shoe. You also want a shoe that allows your feet to roll inward, since this helps absorb shock. Cushioned shoes tend to be less supportive and work with the foot rather than try to control it. 

The rotation of the foot inward and downward when you land on the ground is called pronation, and it's a completely natural and normal process. Everyone should pronate to some degree. This important movement helps the foot and body absorb the shock at impact with the ground.  

However, some runners will either overpronate or underpronate. Which means their feet roll in to far, overpronation, or their feet roll inward only a little, underpronation or hypopronation, after impact with the ground. These two biomechanical conditions can lead to different types of injuries. Runners whose foot underpronates are characterized as having a rigid foot. This type of foot does not absorb shock very well.

See Also:

Our Selection Of Sandals and Shoes

Our Selection Of Orthotics

Back To How Do I Know If I Need Orthotic

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