Choosing The Right Shoe

Getting the right shoe for sporting activities really can make a difference to the likelihood of suffering a sports-related injury (see Sports Injuries - Prevent than Treat).

Sports are generally dynamic activities involving lots of movements at speed, so there are many ways in which injuries can happen. Good shoes can help the feet to function at optimum efficiency, absorbing shock from the force of the body's weight being transmitted through the bones, ligaments and tendons with each movement. People who take part in sport on a regular basis can suffer aches, pains, sprains and even fractures as a result of overload on the tissues caused by lack of shock absorption or mechanical inefficiency of the foot. Modern sports shoes are made of hi tech materials that have been developed on the basis of millions-dollars worth of research to ensure maximum performance with minimum risk of injury. This has resulted in the amazing array of shoes available on the shelves in the shop.

Thus when one step into a sport shoe boutique, it is not difficult for him or her to feel lost at choosing a right pair of shoes. First of all, do not be tempted (though not easy at all) to buy shoes just based on the cool look they gives u. Buy shoes that is meant for your intended activity.

Running shoes are very flexible, which enables the foot to bend and flex through each step. As running mainly involves moving forwards at varying speeds, running shoes are not really suitable for activites involving side to side movements (such as tennis or aerobics). The amount of flexibility in the shoe can mean that the foot "goes over" at the ankle when sharp turning or sideways movements are made at speed. If your suffer from ankle pain or injury, it may be because you have been wearing running shoes for other kinds of sport!

Cross trainers are much stiffer and provide greater support for the foot when side to side movements are made. This means that they can be used across a range of activities. The downside is a loss of flexibility across the ball of the foot & the toes, which means that the muscles and other soft tissue structures in the foot & leg have to work harder to bend the foot in the shoe when running.

Court shoes, specifically designed for Tennis, basketball etc, fall somewhere between the two, giving a combination of flexibility and sideways support.

Fitness shoes, designed for aerobics etc, also combine flexibility with support and they incorporate cushioning to lessen the effect of shock generated during high impact work.

Besides choosing the right shoes for your activity, find a pair of shoes that is designed for your foot type! In a perfect world, we would all have perfect feet that would carry us around and allow us to perform the actvities of our choice with no ill effects at all. Unfortunately, this is the real world & life (and our feet) just isn't like that!

Feet that flatten out excessively when weightbearing (a movement of the joints within the foot known as pronation) tend to get aches & pains as a result of stress on the soft tissues as the foot moves more that it ideally should. People with this type of foot will benefit from a shoe that supports the inner border of the foot.

High arched feet (where the joints are in a postion known as supination) are less flexible & so support on the inner border of the foot is less important. However, this type of foot needs much more cushioning in the shoe to compensate for the lack of natural shock absorbsion caused by the relative rigidity of the joints within the foot.

To find out your foot type, you can do a little Wet Test. Notice how much (or how little) of your instep is clear in your footprint. If you find it too troublesome to check your feet after a shower, your shoe wear pattern will drop you some clues on what kind of feet you have.

Besides matching shoes with your foot type, make sure to choose shoes that are shaped to provide the appropriate amount of support for your foot.

Shoes are made on foot-shaped moulds known as lasts. Lasts can be straight, semi incurved or incurved. In a straight lasted shoe, a line drawn through the length of the shoe from the mid point of the sole at the back of the heel to the toe will pass though the point where the second toe (the toe next to the big toe) would lie. The same line on a shoe built on a semi incurved or incurved last will pass closer to the place where the little toe would lie. Shoes built on straighter lasts give more support to the inner border of the foot & so they are suitable for customers with pronated feet. People with rigid, supinated feet will do best with an incurved or semi incurved shoe.

In short, if you are pronator (foot that tends roll inwards):

• Look for: Firm midsole. Board or combination lasting. Straight/slightly curved last. Firm heel counter.
• Avoid: Extra soft midsole. Slip lasting. Very curved last. Soft heel counter.
• Common injuries: Patellofemoral knee pain. Medial knee pain. Plantar fasciitis. Shin splints. Tibial stress fractures. Lower spine pain.

And if you are supinator (Foot that tends to roll outwards):

• Look for: Soft midsole. Curved last. Slip lasting. High heel lift.
• Avoid: Very firm midsole. Straight last. Board lasting. Thin heel.
• Common injuries: Nerve pain behind the toes. First toe pain. Plantar fasiitis. Achilles tendon pain. Illiotibial band syndrome. Heel pain.
  

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