A Simple Guide for Choosing the Right Running Shoes
Shopping for a new pair of running shoes isn’t always easy. There are many different brands, styles, and types of shoes on the market today that claim to be the “best running shoe” making it difficult to determine the best shoe to meet your specific needs. Do you wear something minimalist, with a lot of cushion, or possibly in between the two? Is your foot excessively pronated or supinated? There are many things to consider when choosing a running shoe.
In my professional opinion, I think your risk of developing injury when running goes far beyond the type of running shoe you choose to wear. Understanding risk of injury requires an in-depth assessment of a runner’s lower body strength, endurance, mobility, stability, and gait (the biomechanics of their running). In general, when clients ask about which type of shoe is best for running, I will typically educate them on three simple and very practical points to consider. I explain these three points in a little more detail below.
1. Look for a lighter weight shoe with some support.
A lighter weight running shoe may improve energy efficiency while running. A heavier, more stable running shoe with a thicker sole requires more energy when running which may lead to earlier fatigue and decline in running performance. It is also important to understand that shoes with some cushioning can be helpful in providing shock absorption. Therefore, I will always recommend my clients to consider a lighter weight running shoe with some support to achieve both benefits.
2. Make sure you feel comfortable in the shoe.
This may seem obvious to most, but it is so commonly overlooked. Just because you are flat footed, or you pronate excessively doesn’t mean you need to stick to that specific shoe that claims to be tailored towards your foot type. There is no one size that fits all in the world of shoe prescription. Try the shoes on and see how they feel. Walk around in them for a bit, do some jogging in place, or run up and down the aisles and see how your feet feel while the shoes are on. Make sure they fit right too. Make sure you have at least a half inch space between your toe and the toe box (front of the shoe).
3. Don’t make large abrupt changes in your footwear.
Remember, making dramatic changes in your footwear affects everything from the feet up. When you reduce the load on a certain joint or tissue, you alter the body’s biomechanics which then in turn reduces the load on another joint or tissue elsewhere up the chain (knee, hip, lower back, etc…). This can cause adjacent muscle and joint strain/sprain which can lead to pain and dysfunction. If you are considering making a dramatic change in your type of running shoe, make sure to make small gradual changes over time to allow the tissues to accommodate slowly to avoid pain and dysfunction from arising.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Dr. Garrett Desrosiers PT, DPT
Garrett is the CEO and Co-Owner of ProResults Physical Therapy Inc. in San Marcos, CA (North San Diego County). Garrett has been helping on-the-go active adults and athletes across the south western United States return to a pain-free active lifestyle without medications, injections, surgery or making unnecessary trips to the physician’s office since 2015. He graduated in 2013 with his Bachelors of Science in Kinesiology then went on to receive his Doctorate of Physical Therapy from Husson University in 2015. After working for three years in multiple fast paced outpatient orthopedic physical therapy clinics, Garrett quickly realized he was not able to provide the elite quality care he knew his clients deserved. Garrett felt clients were more than just a number or diagnosis and that in order to provide the time, empathy, passion, and high-quality treatment they deserved, starting his own private practice was the only option. Garrett is committed to helping every client make the best decision in regard to their health. His unique, personalized, eclectic, multifaceted approach takes those individuals who have decreased their activities or stopped being active all together to a real solution.