There has long been speculation as to whether specific running shoes have an influence on injury prevention. Do you over-pronate? are you neutral?, or do you supinate? Many of us have been to sports shops, and been made to run on a treadmill to ascertain what our ankles and feet are doing when we run. We then get advised on what type of trainer suits our running needs, but do we need to worry?
A study recruiting 372 recreational runners were given either motion control or the standard version of a regular running shoe model. This group were followed up 6 months later regarding running activity and injury. Foot morphology was analysed to see the effect on those with supinated, neutral and pronated feet.
Results showed that running in shoes with motion control was associated with a significantly lower overall injury risk, This trend was however only demonstrated in runners with pronated feet, while those with neutral or supinated feet did not benefit.
Interestingly, the runners with pronated feet who received the standard shoes had a higher injury risk than those with neutral feet. So, this study suggests if you have pronated feet, you may benefit from using motion control trainers to avoid potential injury.
Comments