HOUSTON – To find out which shoes you need, Dr. Oladapo Alade, an orthopedic surgeon at Kelsey-Seybold, said to read the bottom tread of your current pair.
“Like when you read the tread on a tire, if a tire is wearing unevenly, that means there something going on with the alignment," Alade said. "It's the same thing with the foot and looking at the shoe."
Ankles roll out
“If you're someone who's wearing out the lateral side of the shoe, the outer border of the shoe, that means you tend to be a higher arch individual and you’re wearing on your foot this way,” Alade said.
You want a shoe that's flexible on the inside so stiff arches are not pushing your feet more to the outside, and instead to a neutral position.
Neutral position
Neutral is always the goal. This straightforward running gait helps avoid injuries in your feet, knees and back.
If you already run in a neutral position, meaning you evenly wear out the bottoms of your shoes, you can opt for all-around flexible, less rigid running shoes.
“Not a lot of rigidity because if you have any sort of normal or even higher arch, you don't need something that's very stiff in the middle,” Alade said. “The middle of your foot is already stiff. If you make it more stiff, that tends to make it more uncomfortable.”
Ankles roll in
If you suspect your ankle rolls inward, you do want to search for something stiffer. Find a shoe with a wide, dense support under the arch.
“Those soles are going to be extremely thick, multiple colors, especially for most athletic running shoes, because the sole is providing a lot of arch support and they're much more rigid in the middle of the shoe,” Alade said.
Invest in good shoes
If you play tennis, basketball or sports involving lateral movement, you need different kinds of shoes that can also protect your ankles. Good shoes are an investment in your joint health and can cost around $100, but that should last you hundreds of miles.
Alade recommends novice runners go to a specialty store that can analyze your gait and pair you with the proper shoes. Some shoe stores in the Houston area that can do this are Foot Solutions and All About Feet.