Things you should know about shoes.
Clearly, you should wear shoes that are appropriate for the activity you are engaged in. Don’t play tennis in a running shoe, for example. A walking shoe should be more ridged than a running shoe and should have a rounded sole that will smoothly shift weight from heel to toe. A running shoe should have heel cushioning and have a notch to hold the Achilles.
Good running shoes protect your feet from the stresses of running. A one-mile, leisurely run can put 100 tons of pressure on your foot. That energy must be distributed by a good shoe that will prevent your body from absorbing the total burden. A poor shoe can lead to problems in your back, hips, shins, ankle, or feet.
Many people use their shoes for too long. The support material will wear down and not give you the cushioning or support you need. Shoes will wear out in 300 to 500 miles of use, or six months at the rate of 20 miles per week. Relating sole wear with shoe wear can be misleading because the midsole, where you get the cushioning and support, will wear out first.
Heavier runners, for example, a man over 180 pounds or a woman over 140 pounds, break down shoes sooner as you would expect. Such runners may benefit by using a stability or motion control shoe that uses the stiffer polyurethane to provide stability.
If you see wear on the outside of the shoe, it is almost certain that the midsole has broken down in the same place. You can tell by putting your shoes on a flat surface and looking at the line from the heel to the top of the back of the shoe. It should be a straight line. If you see an imbalance in the shoe as it sits on a flat surface, do not run in it.
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What you should know about shoes
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How We
Sell Running or Walking Shoes: Swift Feet wants to know about your exercising habits and your needs. We are experienced and can help you get the right shoe for your level of activity. Here is our approach: First:
Second: We want to watch or record you on video tape as you run or walk on our treadmill. This allows us to see how you land on and how you push off. A common problem is to turn the feet inside too much (called pronating), which can lead to foot and knee problems, shin splints, and lower back problems. The proper shoes will correct this problem. Third: Shoes are designed to complement your foot size and shape, and biomechanics. We will suggest a shoe based on our analysis of your foot strike, take-off, stride, and foot and arch shape. Of course, the final, and most important consideration, is how the shoe feels when you are exercising. You can tell that by running or walking on the treadmill. Notice that we have not emphasized size. Size is taken into account, but we often find that the size you have had in the past is only a guide. Some tips on buying the right shoe:
There are a number of injuries that are common as a result of faulty running shoes: Jogger’s Toe – is an accumulation of blood under the toenails resulting from shoes with a small toebox or shoes that are too small. Blisters – are caused by friction from shoes that are not tight enough or are so large that they let your foot move inside your shoe. Plantar Facciitis – is inflammation in the connecting tissue that connects the heel to the toe area on the bottom of your foot. This can be the result of shoes that are too flexible, that flex before the point where the foot joins the toes, or that don’t provide stability for the overpronator. Achilles Tendinitis – occurs when there is inflammation at the Achilles tendon that results in pain at the back of the heel. Shoes that do not have enough flex or that have too much heel cushioning can cause this. Stress Fractures – come from micro breaks in bones of the leg or foot that result from inadequate shock absorption. Knee pain, ankle pain, shin pain, hip pain, and back pain – results from poor absorption of the shock of running. Approximately half of all runners will either overpronate or underpronate. If you overpronate, the most common problem, you are rolling the foot too far to the inside and pushing off on the inside edge of the forefoot. If you underproate, you don’t roll enough so the stride ends on the outer edge of the foot by the little toe. As a guide to your running behavior, you can wet your feet and step on a piece of cardboard. If you see the entire sole in the imprint, you have a low arch and tend to overpronate. If you see only parts of your forefoot and heel with a narrow connection between them, you have a high arch and tend to underpronate. Overpronation will cause wear on the outside heel and inside forefoot. Underpronation causes wear on the outer edge of the heel and the little toe. When you visit a running specialty store, you will see different types of shoes that include: Racing flats that are very lightweight and are used for competition. They are good for short distances and for efficient runners. But, unless, you are young and an efficient runner, they should not be used on daily basis. Lightweight trainers have more cushioning than racing flats. They are designed to be as light and an efficient runner can use them for long distances or an inefficient runner can use them for short distances. Cushioning shoes do not provide much control of overpronating but emphasize cushioning. They are best for the runner who lands and pushes off correctly. Stability shoes will control overpronation and, as the name implies, give stability. They have less cushioning than a cushioning shoe . Motion control shoes provide the greatest stability but have the least amount of cushioning. They are intended for the person who is an extreme overpronator. Trail shoes have a bottom sole that will greatly increase traction for off-road runs. They are usually a moderately stable shoe. Visit some of our Favorite Running Sites where you can find more information on all aspects of running:
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