Running advice for shoes- underpronating

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Lizzypb88
Lizzypb88 Posts: 367 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I have taken a few days off running because when I switched to running on the treadmill, to outdoors, I probably should have only started outside one day a week and not quit the treadmill cold turkey! The outside edge of my feet definitely ache and I feel I just need to cool it until I feel more healed.
Anyways! I looked online and saw that I should check my shoe wear, and I had lateral wear, definitely underpronating as I've read. So I went back to my shoe store and the guy took a look and said "yea you're underpronating a bit, but not too bad, and besides it is very rare to occur, there's shoes for OVERpronating, but nothing that can really be done for underpronating, just take it easy etc etc"
So I'm wondering if anyone else has any advice since I'm running longer distances than I did a couple months ago? I'm not really finding anything telling me what exactly I should be looking for, just that it's rare etc, any advice would help thanks!

Replies

  • only6icecubes
    only6icecubes Posts: 20 Member
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    You would need a neutral shoe.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
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    You also look at orthotic inserts. The running store prob has those too. They don't make them for underpronation, but it will help stablize your foot overall. Try on supports with different amounts of support & arches to see what feels most comfortable.
  • dewd2
    dewd2 Posts: 2,449 Member
    edited July 2017
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    I under pronate slightly as well. I use neutral shoes and really don't have any issues. It is rare that is for sure. My feet never hurt because of it.

    What shoes are you wearing?
  • zilkah
    zilkah Posts: 207 Member
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    I just swapped to neutral shoes this week for the exact same issue . I got Brooks ghost 10 and honestly had immediate improvement as well as no more knee pain
  • nowine4me
    nowine4me Posts: 3,985 Member
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    Have you tried HokaOne? They have a shoe for everything. Quite expensive, but worth it to me.
  • JustRobby1
    JustRobby1 Posts: 674 Member
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    I have heard a similar diagnosis myself from my local store here in Chicago that specializes in running called Flat Feet Sports. I can tell you what I use, but since matters like this are so particular to the individual I hate to "recommend" anything. It sucks you can't really have a "test drive" on running shoes.

    For distance I use the Asics DynaFlyte. I had never used an Asics product in my life previously, but I must say I have been very satisfied. Then again, I only recently took up distance running within the last year. This also came at the recommendation of my running store, and it was a good one IMHO

    For sprinting and everything else I go with my "old reliable" which is the UA SpeedForm series. I have used this series of shoe since high school and I adore them. I have the Gemini 2's now, but I have had virtually every variation they have put out since inception. My only complaint is with durability. It sticks, and at that price point, it shouldn't.

  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    edited July 2017
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    Lizzypb88 wrote: »
    ...but nothing that can really be done for underpronating

    Back to first principles a little first, The foot should naturally roll outwards during the ground contact portion of the step cycle. When that outward roll is excessive it's called overponation, when insufficient it's called supination. That outward roll has a number of benefits, however the effect of overpronation is excessive torque on the lower leg, which can lead to a number of issues. One of the most significant benefits of pronation is shock absorption. The effect of supiniation is that the roll doesn't absorb shock, so that propagates up the body, and is absorbed elsewhere.

    I'd normally expect supination to show up as lower back pain or excessive fatigue, rather than foot pain. To me, it sounds more like you're landing heavily or you've got a shoe that's too light/ flexible so it's not protecting your foot from the impact. Given the level of running that you've done your shoes shouldn't have significant enough wear to diagnose yet.

    Given that supination causes the shock loading to propagate I'd normally suggest a cushioned shoe, but you may also just need to work on your gait and try to land more lightly on your feet. Given that it's fairly light, as described, I'd stick with the current shoes and work on that. No real need to spend the money.

    When your shoes need replacement then consider something a bit more structured than you're currently in. And if they are lightweight you may need to replace them more quickly. Personally I've got a significant overpronation, but just wear a neutral shoe having learned to control my gait.

    As upthread, what shoe are you currently wearing?



  • StealthHealth
    StealthHealth Posts: 2,417 Member
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    I over-pronate and choose a neutral shoe. These are often branded as "cushioning" or "supportive".

    I'm on Nike Lunarglide (2 or 3 I think) Flyknits at the moment.
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
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    I underpronate and all my wear is on the outside of my soles, a neutral shoe is your best bet. I would never resort to orthotics. Build your mileage gradually and you should have no issues.
  • StealthHealth
    StealthHealth Posts: 2,417 Member
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    StealthHealth wrote: »
    I under over-pronate and choose a neutral shoe. These are often branded as "cushioning" or "supportive".

    I'm on Nike Lunarglide (2 or 3 I think) Flyknits at the moment.

    Doh!! corrected

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