Looking for some shoe advice! (overpronation)

Before you correct your “overpronation” read this article.

A Popular Myth About Running Injuries
By Gretchen Reynolds June 26, 2013

NY Times

“….In essence, what these findings suggest, says Rasmus Ostergaard Nielsen, a doctoral researcher at Aarhus University who led the new study, is that supposedly deviant degrees of pronation may not in practice be abnormal and do not contribute to injuries….”

Yep.  one of the worst things I see in clinical practice is the very, very popular notion of cramming something under your arch to keep it from falling down.  It is SUPPOSED to fall down – that’s its point.  Your arch is not a weight bearing surface and is supposed to rotate and fall and rise and move all over the place – otherwise your foot is a concrete block at the end of your leg.

For hikers especially, let your foot absorb force, that’s what it’s supposed to do.  If you stop that, you let the rest of your leg take up forces it’s not meant to – and ta-da, problems arise.

Sure, some people have ridiculous biomechanics in their lower extremities and there’s just no hope; however, those people are a vast minority and the rest of folks need to let their feet do some work for a change.

Check out the vasque mindbender, they work well with superfeet

@MS

As a professional boot fitter for backpacking, and for ultramarathoning, I would recommend the GT-2000 trail. If the GT-2000 works for you. This would be one of your more comfortable lightweight options. Yea you are correct you will have to replace them frequently.

Alternatively I recommend a neutral boot with a Sole insole that can be heat molded to your foot at home.

Some people here have suggested the minimalist approach, but I urge caution if you use that path. It is certainly not for everyone.

-Daniel

Nobody said go minimalist, just don’t use correction when there’s nothing to correct.

asics makes a gt2000 trail shoe, so if you like the fit and ride of the road version, maybe the trail edition is a good place to start your search.

‘Over-pronation’
‘Arch support’
Gel soles

These CONCEPTS are some of Nike’s crimes, which have created more misery than you could believe. NONE of them have any medical justification what so ever.They are purely marketing spin, for the sake of sales. They DAMAGE your feet and legs.

Shoe width on the other hand has been so neglected by all those ‘sports’ companies which only make ‘average’ (usually D) width and expect people with EE and 4E width feet to wear them. So much pain and suffering there too. Sigh.

Cheers

On second thought, a bunch of people on the internet changed my mind.   Ditch the shoes and go barefoot.   You just need to toughen up your feet.   I’m doing 30 mile day hikes and still have a long ways to go before I can even begin to approach the conditioning that the average BPL member has achieved.

Swap your pants for a loin cloth, use a spear instead of a hiking stick, and go barefoot gathering edible foods and slaughtering the furry animals as the bounty of the season allows !

4E is not a foot. It is a flipper.

If you use your feet for a lifetime to Ruffin & Tuffin them up, they can begin to look pretty different.   More like a block of wood with some toenails than some puny human foot.   Its awesome but not for everyone.

I used the loin cloth and moccasin route once on a thru hike, it didn’t get me any brownie points when passing through towns though…..:-(

These CONCEPTS are some of Nike’s crimes, which have created more misery than you could believe. NONE of them have any medical justification what so ever.They are purely marketing spin, for the sake of sales. They DAMAGE your feet and legs.

Shoe width on the other hand has been so neglected by all those ‘sports’ companies which only make ‘average’ (usually D) width and expect people with EE and 4E width feet to wear them. So much pain and suffering there too. Sigh.

Agree 100%. Get proper fitting trail runners without any foot strike solutions.

“Get proper fitting trail runners without any foot strike solutions.”

This is the best clinical advice I could ever give.  Get a shoe that is comfortable in the shop.  That is all.  Stop worrying about neutral/motion control/minimum/maximum/etc.  Literally try on some shoes, buy the ones that fit the best and are the most comfortable on your feet.

A great meta-analysis just came out late last year that looked at all the different criteria for finding running shoes.  Do you know the one criteria that led to the least amount of injury?  The ones that were comfy in the store.  That’s it.

“Sure, some people have ridiculous biomechanics in their lower extremities and there’s just no hope”

…I know you’re implying me here Jen.  ;OP”  I’m working on it!

On a side note, my ankles roll in a lot/I am horribly duck footed.  This caused me knee pain after about 5 miles in all shoes I’ve tried EXCEPT…Montrail Mountain Masochist IIs.  On my last trip with Jen in TX, I was wearing brand new Masochist III (3)s and wound up with knee pain in my left knee (my “worse” duck-foot)  3(?) days in after a lot of down.  Not sure if that was the new Masochist IIIs or just the fact that the last time I had hiked was in July…or just my redic biomechanics.  :O)

HTH

KJ

size up to avoid hiker’s toe