today. With all the shoes having unique characteristics it becomes all the more difficult. Here
are some guidelines you can follow when buying sports shoes.
Pronation is the rolling of the foot from heel to toe via the foot strike.. You need to know how
your foot pronates to see which shoes will be right for workout . The best sports shoes for moderate
and severe over pronators are stability shoes and motion control shoes.
Foot type
Check your arch height. You can try a wet test for this, wet the bottom of each foot and stand on
a paper bag and after a minute or so step aside and see the imprint of the foot. Shoe stores have
more sophisticated software that can do this and show the results on a computer.
Tips for shopping for sports shoes
• Shop in the late afternoon when your feet are the largest as your feet will expand while
running and workout.
• Old shoes should be taken along to see the degree of pronation which will be seen by
the places that are worn most on the shoe.
• If you wear orthotics then take them along to see how the shoe fits with the orthotic
inside
• Don’t go by fashion trends; make sure you choose the right shoe for you!
• Both the feet must be measured- It’s a fact that one foot is slightly larger than the other.
Make sure that the shoes fit properly
Proper fit is a crucial step in buying the right sports shoes for workouts. The shoe needs to be a snug but not
tight. There are certain points to note while ensuring a proper sports shoe fit.
• Press your thumb into the shoe above the longest toe; it should fit between the end of
your toe and top of the shoe.
• There needs to be sufficient space at the widest part of the foot. The shoe should not be
tight but it shouldn’t slide around either.
• The upper part of the shoe should fit well without pressing tightly on any area of the
foot.
Do you need orthotics?
Orthotics are sometimes used in conjunction with sports shoes:
• If you have problems with foot pain, knee pain and hip pain or back pain
• If you have had foot surgery
• If your shoes wear unevenly
• If you walk in a “toe-out” manner
• If you have knock knees
• If one leg is shorter than the other
• If you run and/or play sports regularly
Orthotics can help reduce pronation, excessive ankle and heel movement, improve gait,
overall balance and workouts .