Post by andymotibristol on Dec 23, 2009 11:21:00 GMT -5
Hi All,
Many of you are well versed in what shoes do what and why, but for those who aren't and perhaps are still using the 'tried and tested' *ahem* method of the wet footprint test, read on
I have been told I need 'support' shoes, why?
All of us to one degree or another pronate our feet. That is, when we place weight on our feet and ankles they roll to the inner side of the body. This is a natural mechanism used by the body for shock absorbtion of the loads we place upon when walking or running (up to 6 time body weight when running).
Problems - i.e. injuries - can occur when the body does this too much, called 'over pronation'. This can happen for various reasons including:
- Natural flexibility
- Pregnancy, which tends to do funky things to the feet.
- Age, ligaments and tendons stretch and wear out with age.
- Poor shoe choice, e.g. high heels (which destablise the foot).
Running shoes in the past were nothing more than leather coverings shaped for the foot. Which were great for those people with stable feet (or unstable feet which caused no problems).
This however wasn't the best type of shoe to allow the majority of people in the country to run comfortably on the hardened concrete that are our pavements.
Shoe manufacturers came up with the idea of cushioning the feet to allow you to run on this hard surface without too much pain.
There is a gap in the authors knowledge here with regards to when and why manufacturers realised that adding support to shoes helped with injuries and general comfort, but add support they did.
Define 'Support' please?
Most people have some degree of over pronation, described above. The foot is weaker on the medial (inner) side than it is on the outer. So of course it will roll that way if 'excessive' force is applied to it (especially if it is tired at the end of a long run).
Many people will find that they could in fact run barefoot with no problems but some level of training of the lower limb would be required to do this. As most people won't do this, the foot just isn't used to having up to 6 times the force that it's used to, being applied to it.
Shoe manufacturers began to make shoes to support the foot for those people who would naturally have issues with all this weight bearing down on their feet.
I guess in essence shoes are designed to support your foot so you don't have to go and train to run without them
SO, whats the difference between the types of shoes out there right now and how long do they last?
-Neutral Shoes
-Support Shoes
-Motion Control Shoes
-Cushioning Shoes
These are the four main categories of running shoe. Be aware that they can be know by other names.
Neutral Shoes
'Shoes that don't tell your feet what to do'
As has been said, most people have a degree of movement in their ankle or foot and benefit from a more supportive shoe. However neutral shoes are excellent for the statistically smaller number of people who have very stable feet. Their feet already provide a sound bio-mechanical base for running and so do not need any guidance.
Support Shoes
Support shoes help the foot and ankle to resist this excessive motion of over-pronation by supporting them under the side which structurally weaker, the inner/medial side.
This support takes different forms but all allow the foot to stay closer to neutral which promotes a more efficient and 'natural' foot movement.
Motion Control
Sometimes the foot over-pronates so much, or has so little structure that a shoe is required which 'guides' the foot, showing it what it should do when it hits the floor. Like a classroom assistant at school it gently nudges you back to where you should be to promote this efficient, 'natural' movement.
Phew, too much information! And I need these shoes why?
Well, in order not to confuse the issue, lets take just one example. Shin splints.
Possibly the most common of lower limb ailments for runners (and many other sports) this can occur when the foot or ankle over-pronates (i.e. their normal action when weight is applied is to collapse or roll too far to the inner side) repeatedly.
As the lower leg is connected to the ankle, the knock on effect when they roll-in is for the lower leg to rotate to the inside which slightly stretches the muscles on the front of the leg.
Shin splints is this action, during a run repeated hundreds of times and typically occurs when you have just increased your run intensity or distance and, if you are susceptible to it, when you have incorrectly prescribed or old worn out shoes.
Can I have too much support?
Absolutely. The body counteracts intervention when forced to do more than it wants to, if we give the foot too much help it won't work effectively which can cause more problems. By using the video analysis system we work to never give you more support than you need.
The final catagory is:
CUSHIONING
"But surely all shoes have cushioning?"
Yup, but some people need more. More because they are heavier (sorry, bigger boned!) Or they are running long distances on a regular basis. The highest cushioned shoe we stock is a neutral shoe for those non over-pronators but there are plenty which offer support as well as a decent level of plushness.
We look forward to seeing you.
Many of you are well versed in what shoes do what and why, but for those who aren't and perhaps are still using the 'tried and tested' *ahem* method of the wet footprint test, read on
I have been told I need 'support' shoes, why?
All of us to one degree or another pronate our feet. That is, when we place weight on our feet and ankles they roll to the inner side of the body. This is a natural mechanism used by the body for shock absorbtion of the loads we place upon when walking or running (up to 6 time body weight when running).
Problems - i.e. injuries - can occur when the body does this too much, called 'over pronation'. This can happen for various reasons including:
- Natural flexibility
- Pregnancy, which tends to do funky things to the feet.
- Age, ligaments and tendons stretch and wear out with age.
- Poor shoe choice, e.g. high heels (which destablise the foot).
Running shoes in the past were nothing more than leather coverings shaped for the foot. Which were great for those people with stable feet (or unstable feet which caused no problems).
This however wasn't the best type of shoe to allow the majority of people in the country to run comfortably on the hardened concrete that are our pavements.
Shoe manufacturers came up with the idea of cushioning the feet to allow you to run on this hard surface without too much pain.
There is a gap in the authors knowledge here with regards to when and why manufacturers realised that adding support to shoes helped with injuries and general comfort, but add support they did.
Define 'Support' please?
Most people have some degree of over pronation, described above. The foot is weaker on the medial (inner) side than it is on the outer. So of course it will roll that way if 'excessive' force is applied to it (especially if it is tired at the end of a long run).
Many people will find that they could in fact run barefoot with no problems but some level of training of the lower limb would be required to do this. As most people won't do this, the foot just isn't used to having up to 6 times the force that it's used to, being applied to it.
Shoe manufacturers began to make shoes to support the foot for those people who would naturally have issues with all this weight bearing down on their feet.
I guess in essence shoes are designed to support your foot so you don't have to go and train to run without them
SO, whats the difference between the types of shoes out there right now and how long do they last?
-Neutral Shoes
-Support Shoes
-Motion Control Shoes
-Cushioning Shoes
These are the four main categories of running shoe. Be aware that they can be know by other names.
Neutral Shoes
'Shoes that don't tell your feet what to do'
As has been said, most people have a degree of movement in their ankle or foot and benefit from a more supportive shoe. However neutral shoes are excellent for the statistically smaller number of people who have very stable feet. Their feet already provide a sound bio-mechanical base for running and so do not need any guidance.
Support Shoes
Support shoes help the foot and ankle to resist this excessive motion of over-pronation by supporting them under the side which structurally weaker, the inner/medial side.
This support takes different forms but all allow the foot to stay closer to neutral which promotes a more efficient and 'natural' foot movement.
Motion Control
Sometimes the foot over-pronates so much, or has so little structure that a shoe is required which 'guides' the foot, showing it what it should do when it hits the floor. Like a classroom assistant at school it gently nudges you back to where you should be to promote this efficient, 'natural' movement.
Phew, too much information! And I need these shoes why?
Well, in order not to confuse the issue, lets take just one example. Shin splints.
Possibly the most common of lower limb ailments for runners (and many other sports) this can occur when the foot or ankle over-pronates (i.e. their normal action when weight is applied is to collapse or roll too far to the inner side) repeatedly.
As the lower leg is connected to the ankle, the knock on effect when they roll-in is for the lower leg to rotate to the inside which slightly stretches the muscles on the front of the leg.
Shin splints is this action, during a run repeated hundreds of times and typically occurs when you have just increased your run intensity or distance and, if you are susceptible to it, when you have incorrectly prescribed or old worn out shoes.
Can I have too much support?
Absolutely. The body counteracts intervention when forced to do more than it wants to, if we give the foot too much help it won't work effectively which can cause more problems. By using the video analysis system we work to never give you more support than you need.
The final catagory is:
CUSHIONING
"But surely all shoes have cushioning?"
Yup, but some people need more. More because they are heavier (sorry, bigger boned!) Or they are running long distances on a regular basis. The highest cushioned shoe we stock is a neutral shoe for those non over-pronators but there are plenty which offer support as well as a decent level of plushness.
| How long do they last? - 400-500 miles of use or - 18 months from purchase or - when you get niggles If you would like to know why, come into store and we will explain all. |
We look forward to seeing you.