Will running shoes make my feet stop hurting?

westendcurls

Personally I think finding the right shoe is a very personal thing and more money will not always mean better shoe. thou every fitness magazine trainer and alike out there will say otherwise. they will all insist you by the most expensive, the newest, top of the line, ect ect ect.. Well guess what? I did and I got horrible planters fasciitis ( think very painful heal splints ). So I read Born To Run & got inspired to try minimalist shoes. I found a cheap pair that were very very flexible and had very thin sole and wallah no more planters for me! YAY!!! I now have an even more flexible and actually designed to be minimalist shoe that I adore!! I bought them for 40$ at TJ Max not sure how much they retail for. but hay just because minimalists works for me does not mean its for everyone. I think you should try a few styles and find the one you like best, though I know how expensive that can be. just remember outlets are your friends.

Good Luck! I hope you find a good style and fit for you soon, running is far to enjoyable to be hampered by sore feet!

( oh and btw I also have flat feet, I run manly on the balls of my feet with a very short stride. I don't run for speed I run for distance, though I'm told I'm quite fast. and when outdoors I only trail run, I hate pavement! )

sjp_511

I was told to get new shoes every three months. I think new shoes, but don't go cheap. Have them fitted by someone who knows running. Also check out CHI running. There is a book, or you can go to clinics. They help you with your form.

Every 3 months for new shoes is awfully frequent unless you are a very high mileage runner. I have always heard 300-500 miles per pair of shoes - heavier people will be on the low end of that range. I don't closely track the age or miles on my shoes. I go by feel. If my feet are achy after a run I know it is time for new shoes. I probably go through 2 pairs per year.

To the OP: I agree with most other posters here. Good running shoes should be considered an investment. They are the most important tool for injury prevention. What is foot pain now can turn into knee, hip, and back pain and injury that can stop you from running. To to a running store and get properly fitted. You will have better luck and finding a good shoe. Running stores don't always get you the right shoe on first try, but many have pretty fair return policies.

I also recommend going shoe shopping later in the day, or at the very least after you have already gone for a run that day. Your feet swell up throughout the day, so a shoe that is comfortable in the morning may become too tight while you are running.

Doodlewhopper

The foot has 32 joints, 26 bones & 19 muscles. If an out of shape couch potato rearranges the living room furniture their body is going to ache the next day; so why do we feel something is wrong when we subject our flaccid and out of shape feet to pounding on hard asphalt & they ache?

Just like any other part of your body, your feet will ache until they get into shape. If youre not careful and over work them you risk overuse injuries, muscle strains, torn ligaments, tendonitis & stress fractures. The question should be asked, why use a shoe that will further weaken and hamper the development of strong and healthy foot?

Ive been a runner for a number of years. I ran in properly fitted & expensive shoes, and I was always nursing injuries and chronic shin splints. I read the inspiring book "Born to Run" by Christopher McDougall and went and bought my first pair of minimalist shoes. Other than aching feet, I havent had any injury or pain. My feet have literally transformed before my eyes, they are smaller, sleeker and stronger. My feet are now works of lean body mass and I have better balance....btw I weigh 225 lbs.

Read the following article linked below a couple of times to get the full impact.

"Dr Daniel Lieberman, professor of biological anthropology at Harvard University, has been studying the growing injury crisis in the developed world for some time and has come to a startling conclusion: 'A lot of foot and knee injuries currently plaguing us are caused by people running with shoes that actually make our feet weak, cause us to over-pronate (ankle rotation) and give us knee problems.

'Until 1972, when the modern athletic shoe was invented, people ran in very thin-soled shoes, had strong feet and had a much lower incidence of knee injuries.' "

"FEET LIKE A GOOD BEATING

Despite pillowy-sounding names such as 'MegaBounce', all that cushioning does nothing to reduce impact. Logically, that should be obvious - the impact on your legs from running can be up to 12 times your weight, so it's preposterous to believe a half-inch of rubber is going to make a difference.

When it comes to sensing the softest caress or tiniest grain of sand, your toes are as finely wired as your lips and fingertips. It's these nerve endings that tell your foot how to react to the changing ground beneath, not a strip of rubber.

To help prove this point, Dr Steven Robbins and Dr Edward Waked of McGill University, Montreal, performed a series of lengthy tests on gymnasts. They found that the thicker the landing mat, the harder the gymnasts landed. Instinctively, the gymnasts were searching for stability. When they sensed a soft surface underfoot, they slapped down hard to ensure balance. Runners do the same thing. When you run in cushioned shoes, your feet are pushing through the soles in search of a hard, stable platform.

'Currently available sports shoes are too soft and thick, and should be redesigned if they are to protect humans performing sports,' the researchers concluded.

To add weight to their argument, the acute-injury rehabilitation specialist David Smyntek carried out an experiment of his own. He had grown wary that the people telling him to trade in his favourite shoes every 300-500 miles were the same people who sold them to him.

But how was it, he wondered, that Arthur Newton, for instance, one of the greatest ultrarunners of all time, who broke the record for the 100-mile Bath-London run at the age of 51, never replaced his thin-soled canvaspumps until he'd put at least 4,000 miles on them?

So Smyntek changed tack. Whenever his shoes got thin, he kept on running. When the outside edge started to go, he swapped the right for the left and kept running. Five miles a day, every day.

Once he realised he could run comfortably in broken-down, even wrong-footed shoes, he had his answer. If he wasn't using them the way they were designed, maybe that design wasn't such a big deal after all.

He now only buys cheap trainers. "

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/moslive/article-1170253/The-painful-truth-trainers-Are-expensive-running-shoes-waste-money.html

JustJennie1

A good pair of shoes will help, but have you checked out your technique at all? When running you wanna try to just use the front half of your foot, like the ball and toes and try to keep your heel from touching the ground. I learned this from a professional runner. It feels awkward at first but it really reduces the impact on your feet and calves. When I was running at first my legs would hurt so badly but once I started paying attention to my technique it stopped hurting so bad.

Everyone's gait is different when they run. My sister is a heel striker. I am a mid-foot/toe striker. I know people who run flat foot. There's no right or wrong way to run it's whatever is comfortable for you.

OP: Go to a RUNNING store (NOT a sporting goods store) and get a gait analysis and get proper running shoes. If you run in cheap/crap/non-running shoes you can cause more harm than good.

sukatx

A really good pair of running shoes can be expensive, but worth it if you're experiencing pain.

Personally, I used to get a sharp shooting, stabbing pain in the ball of my left foot when I first started working out. I went to Run-On on the suggestion of my husband. They watch you walk and choose shoes that have the correct support for your personal posture and step. Yes, my shoes cost $120 but without them I wouldn't be able to work out.

After I made my shoe purchase, I came home feeling really bad about spending so much on one pair of shoes. Hubby reminded me that the medical costs of being obese would total way more than $120, so I actually saved our family money by buying shoes that let me continue to work out.