During activity it is important to make sure you not only have a good shoe, but you have the right shoe for your feet.
Your shoe choice is dependent upon:
- How your foot absorbs shock
- How you walk and run
- Your body weight
- Training surfaces
As you walk or run, your foot naturally absorbs and transfers shock.
- Pronation describes the movement of your foot in absorbing this shock.
- Under-pronated feet are less common and tend to have more stress related injuries, less ‘natural’ cushioning.
- Over-pronated feet are more common and can transfer the shock and stress to other structures leading to damage.
Sometimes we need to support a foot to alter the shape and the amount of pronation.
The rear-foot and mid-foot are two of the different areas of the feet that require support.
In selecting any shoe, it is important to select one that supports your particular foot shape.
Different brands of shoes have different levels and areas of support.
Most major sports shoe manufacturers make a variety of models within their range, to allow for various foot types, and various biomechanical styles.
By examining a sports shoe, you can often see different amount and types of support in different areas of the shoe.
Different shoes have different densities, and amounts, of foam to provide support and padding.
This can be provided at a number of different areas of the shoe including the arch, heel and ball of the foot.
This huge variation between, and even within brands makes it very hard to pick the right type of shoe to suit the shape of your foot.
Only a very small number of shops that sell shoes have trained people onsite who can recommend the right sort of shoe for your foot.
Lifecare podiatrists can properly assess your feet and all the factors needed to assist you with selecting the right shoe for you.