SPORTS FOOTWEAR ASSESSMENT AND ADVICE
At Highett Podiatry, our Sports Podiatry team is focused on delivering footwear advice to ensure the sport shoes you choose keep the feet secure and help avoid injury.
Your feet are as unique as a fingerprint and your sports shoes should be chosen based upon the structure of your particular foot and the sporting activity you participate in. In the absence of a podiatric shoe recommendation, runners may unwittingly contribute to their own injuries by purchasing shoes that are not suited to their particular foot type.
Sports shoe assessment should be based on your individual foot and lower limb pattern, at your typical walking or running speed. With motion analysis through a treadmill gait assessment, we are able to view how your shoes are responding under load, from heel strike, to mid stance to the toe off phase of gait.
Sport shoes and running shoes need to provide appropriate support, grip, stability and cushioning for you against the ground, as well as be appropriate for the sport you are participating in and your biomechanics.
It is important to bring to your appointment all your sports shoes and running shoes.
TYPES OF RUNNING SHOES
Running shoes can be divided into four main types:
Motion control shoes: are made to control overpronation (rolling in of your feet). Many of these shoes have rigid devices made out of plastic or fibreglass in the midsole with more support beneath the arch and a wider base in the heel, significantly reducing maximum pronation. Flat footed, as well as heavy runners, do well in these shoes.
Stability shoes: aid with mild pronation. They provide stability with extra support beneath the arch. These shoes are good for runners with normal arches and only mild motion control problems.
Cushioned shoes: have little, if any, motion control properties. They are the softest of all the running shoes and provide excellent shock absorption. Runners with high arches and rigid feet do well in these shoes.
Lightweight racing shoes: are designed for speed. These are constructed for basic cushioning and support and are used for fastpaced racing. Many athletes will use a more supportive shoe for training and a lightweight racing shoe for competition.
Each of these categories incorporates design features to complement different foot types.
The weight of running shoes may also be a concern to competitive runners. It has been shown carrying 100 grams of excess weight on each foot while running can increase energy expenditure by one per cent. This may seem insignificant, but it can add one to two minutes to the time required to run a competitive marathon or triathlon.
FINDING THE RIGHT AUSSIE RULES FOOTY BOOT
Kids and players often choose their footy boots based on how they look. It is really important the functional requirements such as the level of support the boot provides and the conditions in which you train and play should become your primary consideration, over and above the aesthetic appearance.
To learn more read our Podiatrist’s Guide to finding the right footy boot below.