What Every Runner Should Look for in a Supportive Shoe?

Article Written By: edytagradzka87

Every time you stand up, your feet absorb the weight of your body mass. Every time you take a step, the force of that weight is also absorbed by your feet. The running theme here is that your feet can take a beating if you don t wear the right kind of footwear.

Day to day wear stress on feet won t hurt you or have any lasting effect, but for a runner, if you don t wear proper footwear, it could lead to serious issues like stress fractures. These types of fractures are common and occur often in runners feet if the proper footwear is not worn.

If you don t have good sneakers for your healthy habit of running, be sure to heed the advice below and get your feet the sneakers they deserve.

The first step is to figure out which one of these three basic foot types you have:

Pronated (flat-footed)

This type of foot plants flatly on the ground and has no arch. At the point of contact with the ground, the pressure hits the outside part of the heel and moves far too inward. Roughly 60% of the population has this type of foot.

Supinated (high-arched foot)

This type of foot hits the ground on the inside of the heel and, therefore, the shock does not get absorbed enough and causes added stress to the foot. About 30% of the population has this type of foot.

Neutral (balanced foot)

Only 10% of the population has this foot type, and they are considered to have the best shaped foot for running.

Now that you know the three different types of feet, you need to test which one you have using the wet test. Dip your feet in water and then press them to a surface where you can observe the imprint.

The important part to observe is the middle of the foot. If the foot is perfectly outlined, then you would be considered to have pronated feet. If only the side of the middle foot made an imprint, then you should consider yourself to have supinated feet. Lastly, if the imprint looks to be somewhere between these two, you are part of the lucky few to have well balanced feet. You are now ready to start looking for the perfect sneaker to help facilitate your running love.

Here is a breakdown of the things to look for, depending on what type of foot you have.

Flat-footed

While a strong midsole is important for every type of foot, it becomes a major priority for this particular type of foot. Since there is little arch in your foot, you should look for a sneaker that has built in arch support. This, paired with a strong midsole to keep the form of the sneaker, will greatly increase your comfort when running.

Also, look for motion control running shoes. These sneakers are typically slightly heavier because they provide extra support, stability and shape to the feet. Simply put, these types of sneakers are designed to prevent over-pronation.

High-arch

Since a supinated foot absorbs the shock on the inside of the heel, it therefore has less room to be absorbed and will cause concentrated stress on the foot. For this type of foot, one will be best served to try a sneaker that is designed to be a heavily cushioned shoe. A heavily cushioned sneaker provides the best level of shock absorption and therefore should be your supinated feet s sneaker of choice.

Balanced

The definition of this type of foot provides some obvious hints about what makes the ideal sneaker for you. In this instance, you want to look for a balance between the two previously discussed types of running shoes. You posses the ability to comfortably experience the best of both types of sneaker, so take advantage and treat your feet.

How much is a good shoe? There is no magical price point when it comes to attaining the best pair of sneakers. If the cheapest pair seems to be the most comfortable, then you should get them. Don t be fooled by gimmicky and flashy marketing. However, price is often a result of quality craftsmanship and durability.

When trying on the perfect, shoes you want to have about the width of your thumb in the front of the sneaker to allow for the natural motion of the foot and to provide room for the foot in case of swelling. Finally, this may seem obvious, but wear the socks that you would wear while running. For example, do not wear sandals to try on the sneaker, because the socks they provide for you may fit differently than the style you normally wear.

About the Author

Edyta Gradzka - New Balance shoes.

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This Article Has Been Published on Thu, 16 Sep 2010 and Read 150 Times

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