My Feet Are Killing Me! Injuries from Footwear

September 2, 2009 by Jen Rendfrey
Filed under: Miscellaneous 
Foot Pain?

Foot Pain?

Your shoes stink!  They may not smell but they may be hurting your feet.  Overuse injuries are a common deterrent for continuing an exercise program and cause some people never to return again.  What’s the problem?

The wrong footwear is one of the most common causes of overuse injuries, particularly for beginners.  But with so many choices in running shoes today, you’re  no longer limited by what is available at our local athletic store. Between specialty running stores, “big box” athletic stores and the internet, there is just no excuse for anyone to wear the wrong shoe.

So, how do you choose the right shoe?

The perfect shoe must not only fit you, but it should also help you compensate for your shortcomings. Whether you are large, have an uneven stride, or run on slick trails, there is a shoe for you. The easiest way to choose the perfect shoe is to know what is most important to you, and in what areas you can compromise. Your last concern should be appearances. Let me say that again…..Your last concern should be APPEARANCE!

Foot shape:

Let’s start by learning the shape of your foot. It is important to determine your foot type so you can find a shoe with fit characteristics that meet your feet and biomechanical needs.

 

A simple way of finding out your foot type is to take the Wet Foot Test to determine what shoe shape you should look for in the stores.

The Wet Foot Test

This is quite a simple test that can be done at home. All you have to do is wet your feet and stand on a surface (paper towel or brown paper bag) that will leave a visible footprint. Your footprint should fall into one of three categories.

Flat Feet
Flat Feet

Normal Feet
Normal Feet

High Arched Feet
Arched Foot
 
Flat Feet
This type of print looks like the whole sole of the foot is in contact with the ground. The low arch in this foot type is usually associated with overpronation and this is when the foot strikes on the outside of the heel and rolls inwards too far, and too fast. If this is allowed to continue it can cause many different types of injury.      

Best Last
Straight or semicurved

Best Shoes
Motion-control shoes with firm midsoles and control features that reduce the degree of pronation.
Stay away from highly cushioned, curved-lasted shoes that lack stability and control.

 Flat Feet 
    

 

 
Normal Feet
This footprint is the most common and suggests that you do not have any special requirements. Your feet will have an average sized arch and show the forefoot and heel connected by an even broad band.
The motion of a normal foot lands on the outside of the heel and rolls inwards a small amount to absorb the shock. This would suggest that you are biomechanically efficient so a middle of the road shoe in cushion and support will suffice. As motion control shoes tend to be more expensive and heavier you might want to discount these shoes from your list altogether.     

Best Last
Semicurved

Best Shoes
Shoes with moderate control features such as a two-density midsole.

 Normal Feet 
    

 

 
High Arched Feet
This is the least common of the three types of feet. The print shows that the band connecting the forefoot and the heel to be very thin or even non-existent. If you have feet like this then it tends to indicate that you underpronate (A.K.A supinate) and are not very effective as a shock absorber. It is recommended that you only go for cushioned, neutral shoes without any motion or stability properties.     

Best Last
Curved

Best Shoes
Cushioned shoes with plenty of flexibility to encourage foot motion.

Stay away from motion-control or stability shoes that reduce foot mobility

 Arched Foot

Now that you know your foot type you can then determine your shoe size and width:

One of the most common misnomers, making sure there is a full thumbs width in the front of the toe box, comes from years of miscommunication between the shoe manufacturers and retailers. I could sit here and give you a long explanation as to why this is true….Instead we are going to take a different approach and simply not start with the length of the toe box.

Start by trying on your regular shoe size and pay attention to the heel counter. The heel counter should fit snugly and not allow sliding or rubbing. Next, run your fingers on the inside of the shoe and note if there is any excess material in the upper. Excess material basically means the shoe is not the right type for you. Accordingly, move onto the next style. Once you find a shoe with a properly fitting heel and no extra material you can move onto the width. The shoe should have adequate width at the widest part of the foot - it should not be too tight, but the foot should not slide around either.

Now we can finally determine the length of the shoe. Your longest toe should not be touching the front of the shoe. If this is the case you must bump up half-a-size. Once you are not touching the front of the shoe with your normal running sock, switch to a thicker sock and re-evaluate if your toes are touching the front of the shoe. If you feel really crammed with the heavier sock you should bump up one more half size. I suggest switching back and forth from your regular running socks to the heavy pair of socks. The idea is to really dial in on the size. It would be imprudent for me to not point out that feet do swell when running and this is why we are using different thicknesses of socks. However, everyone’s feet swell in different places and to different sizes. It is a must to pay attention to your own individual needs. There is a fine line between a shoe that fits and a shoe that is too big or small. Do your due diligence and test your shoe out on a treadmill a few times. Return them (given you follow the stores policy) and start the process over until you find the perfect shoe. Typically, once you find the right shoe you can continue to buy that shoe year in and year out!

Happy Trails!

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