There is a very valid saying, " All feet have a shoe...you just need to find the right shoe!"
Its true, all shoes are not created equal, in fact there are enormous differences between brands and even within brands.
I take enormous pride in fitting people with the shoes that will not only give them comfort but performance.
Primarily a shoe should be comfortable and feel like a pair of slippers. No pressure points, no bothersome anything, just plain comfortable while doing the job of supporting your foot. Yes it needs to support your foot especially if you are walking or running.
To keep this as simple as possible, shoes are categorized as either NEUTRAL or STABILITY.
A NEUTRAL shoe is as the name sounds, neutral and it will bend and form to your foot and react to the pressures we create in the shoe. Its you working the shoe.
A STABILITY shoe has a few extra characteristics. Many people PRONATE which means their foot rolls inwards. People who walk like a duck usually pronate. The issue is that if your foot rolls inwards the direction your knee travels will no longer be aligned with the direction your foot is travelling. Without getting into a deep explanation lets just agree that this is cause for NOTICE and a STABILITY shoe can help and is required.
Stability shoes help support the foot to reduce or eliminate the inwards roll. Each manufacturer has its own way of correcting and a knowledgeable shoe fitter can advise you on what you need.
If you have orthotics you automatically need to be in a NEUTRAL shoe as it is your orthidic that is doing the correcting. Especially on a full orthidic you would remove the insole and replace it with your orthidic and then find the shoe that fits.
There are many brands and many feet. Some brands are known to be for slimmer feet while others are for wider feet. Some have narrow toe boxes while others have wide toe boxes for those with squarer feet, like me.
There are also different type of shoes some with a very rigid platform especially important if you suffer from plantar fasciitis.
Stack heights ( the distance from the ground to your foot) have been rising. manufacturer's are creating some incredibly spongy shoes to help absorb the impact we absorb every time our foot touches the ground . ( please look for my upcoming article on the impact absorption). This is all about personal preference and road feel.
Shoes also have varying offsets or drops. A drop or offset is the difference in height between the balls of your feet and heel. Think of being barefoot as a zero drop. Shoes go from 0-12 in the majority of cases.
There are also niche shoes, track ( spike and spikeless) off road and trail shoes. The science behind shoes is truly amazing. I do hope that this brief into gives you a glimpse into the science of shoes and why
YOU SHOULD ABSOLUTELY GET FITTED FOR THE RIGHT RUNNING SHOE.
ITS ALL ABOUT AVOIDING INJURY AND HAVING THE BEST EQUIPEMENT ON YOUR FEET!
IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS, FEEL FREE TO EMAIL ME @ peter@lacdm.ca
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