Wearing the wrong running shoes for 15 years!!

[AndrewR]

So, about 15 years ago I was having significant shin splints from running and was diagnosed by a podiatrist with low arches. As a result, I was told that I needed running shoes with extra support, meaning the "stability" shoes that are out now. So, I have been shopping for those shoes since then. I frequently experience OUTER shin pain (it was inner previously, radiating up from behind the ankle) when running especially when my conditioning level is lower.

Yesterday, I went to a local running store which was hosting the Mizuno shoe company's traveling trailer which evaluates your feet and legs for the proper footwear (and happily promotes their own shoes, obviously). Well, lo and behold, the results of that evaluation said I need NEUTRAL shoes, not stability ones, because of the way my knee flexes when running. With the stability shoes, my feet are forced to lean outward which reinforces the outward knee flexion and increases pressure on my outer shins -- hence, outer shin pain!

Holy crap! All this time I have been dealing with this pain and thinking that it was the result of improper shoe cushioning when it was actually the result of too much! I wound up trying on and buying some Mizuno Wave Runners, and a video of me on the treadmill showed them to be a perfect fit for my stride (the store does some evaluation, too, to ensure a proper match).

Anyway, if anyone has the chance to be evaluated like this, I highly recommend it!! Had this happened many years ago, I would have been spared considerable pain and probably would be running more than I have been. I'm hitting the trail tonight with my new shoes.

 

[RagingBITCH]

The problem with some podiatrists is that unless they're runners, they don't "understand". The one I went to was completely useless in helping my plantar fasciitis (or however you spell that) minus the fantastic drugs she gave me (Judging by her body build, she definitely was not a runner!)

The guys at the running store gave me better advice than she did and helped me with my issue. Mizuno does a once monthly trailer demo here, so :thumbsup: to them for helping you!

 

[SWScorch]

A big WERD to this! I ran in stability shoes for the first 5 years that I ran, and was always injured. If I didn't have ITBS, I had bursitis, or shin splints, or a stress fracture. 5 years ago I had my gait analyzed at a running store and was recommended to wear neutral shoes. Been wearing neutral shoes since then and have not had a serious injury ever since.

 

[Megatomic]

Hmmm, I've been running in my NB stability trainers lately. I wonder if that's why my legs are killing me ever since I bumped up to 13 miles?

 

[silverpig]

Originally posted by: SWScorch
A big WERD to this! I ran in stability shoes for the first 5 years that I ran, and was always injured. If I didn't have ITBS, I had bursitis, or shin splints, or a stress fracture. 5 years ago I had my gait analyzed at a running store and was recommended to wear neutral shoes. Been wearing neutral shoes since then and have not had a serious injury ever since.

I got some stability+ shoes a while back. I had shin splints for a while until I ran through them. Then I got stress fractures.

I did the "wet test" and I have high arches and should get a neutral shoe. My wear pattern is heavy on the outside of my foot, mainly on my heel.

I'm switching to VFFs but it's too early to tell how it's going.

 

[freegeeks]

I also used the wrong shoes for year and always had knee pain. I went to a runners store, did the video analyzing thing, bought the proper shoes and I've been pain free for years

 

[Capt Caveman]

Originally posted by: Megatomic
Hmmm, I've been running in my NB stability trainers lately. I wonder if that's why my legs are killing me ever since I bumped up to 13 miles?

How many miles do you have on them? Did you go from another type of shoe to stability? Note - I started out using motion control shoes and found that I got knee and itb issues. I went to a shoe with less stability and haven't had issues in years.

 

[Alienwho]

My wife has high arches and I think it really messes up her whole spinal alignment deal. What are these Neutral shoes you guys are talking about? What would be a good shoe for general every day usage and occasional tennis game?

 

[RagingBITCH]

Alien - the type of shoe you get depends on a lot of factors. The "simple", although not necessary conclusive (as evidenced by many runners in this thread) is the wet test. Get your feet wet and step on a piece of paper. The pronation shown on that paper gives a general indicator of what type of shoe you should get. (Neutral, stability, motion control) But again, you're better off heading to a running store and having them examine other factors too, as the wet test isn't 100% accurate.

For everyday usage and tennis - you're better off with a normal trainer or a tennis shoe, rather than spending money on a specialized running shoe.

 

[Capt Caveman]

Originally posted by: RagingBITCH
Alien - the type of shoe you get depends on a lot of factors. The "simple", although not necessary conclusive (as evidenced by many runners in this thread) is the wet test. Get your feet wet and step on a piece of paper. The pronation shown on that paper gives a general indicator of what type of shoe you should get. (Neutral, stability, motion control) But again, you're better off heading to a running store and having them examine other factors too, as the wet test isn't 100% accurate.

For everyday usage and tennis - you're better off with a normal trainer or a tennis shoe, rather than spending money on a specialized running shoe.

Correct. A running shoe will not provide the lateral support/stability that a cross-training or tennis shoe will provide.

 

[Megatomic]

Originally posted by: Capt Caveman

Originally posted by: Megatomic
Hmmm, I've been running in my NB stability trainers lately. I wonder if that's why my legs are killing me ever since I bumped up to 13 miles?

How many miles do you have on them? Did you go from another type of shoe to stability? Note - I started out using motion control shoes and found that I got knee and itb issues. I went to a shoe with less stability and haven't had issues in years.

Maybe 500 miles. It's time for new shoes but they still feel fine when I walk in them. And this is my second pair of stability trainers, both NB brand. I have a pair of NB all terrain runners also, I'm going to try them today and see if my legs feel better.

 

[Capt Caveman]

Originally posted by: Megatomic

Originally posted by: Capt Caveman

Originally posted by: Megatomic
Hmmm, I've been running in my NB stability trainers lately. I wonder if that's why my legs are killing me ever since I bumped up to 13 miles?

How many miles do you have on them? Did you go from another type of shoe to stability? Note - I started out using motion control shoes and found that I got knee and itb issues. I went to a shoe with less stability and haven't had issues in years.

Maybe 500 miles. It's time for new shoes but they still feel fine when I walk in them. And this is my second pair of stability trainers, both NB brand. I have a pair of NB all terrain runners also, I'm going to try them today and see if my legs feel better.

Do your legs hurt at the end of your long runs or from the start now? 500 miles is probably your problem. I had a pair of shoes that just reached 450 miles. They feel fine walking around in but my ankles and knees hurt when I run in the them. Indication that they've broken down and time to switch to a new pair. They're dog walking and walk to work shoes now.

 

[RagingBITCH]

Originally posted by: Capt Caveman

Originally posted by: Megatomic

Originally posted by: Capt Caveman

Originally posted by: Megatomic
Hmmm, I've been running in my NB stability trainers lately. I wonder if that's why my legs are killing me ever since I bumped up to 13 miles?

How many miles do you have on them? Did you go from another type of shoe to stability? Note - I started out using motion control shoes and found that I got knee and itb issues. I went to a shoe with less stability and haven't had issues in years.

Maybe 500 miles. It's time for new shoes but they still feel fine when I walk in them. And this is my second pair of stability trainers, both NB brand. I have a pair of NB all terrain runners also, I'm going to try them today and see if my legs feel better.

Do your legs hurt at the end of your long runs or from the start now? 500 miles is probably your problem. I had a pair of shoes that just reached 450 miles. They feel fine walking around in but my ankles and knees hurt when I run in the them. Indication that they've broken down and time to switch to a new pair. They're dog walking and walk to work shoes now.

I can feel mine wearing out. (Little less than 400 miles now) I have a new pair of shoes (different brand though) but don't want to switch to them with a week to go to the marathon...figure I have one more week. (Would rather not experiment with new shoes when the longest run I can test them on now will be a 9 miler) Generally speaking I try to get new ones around the 300-400 range.

 

[Megatomic]

Originally posted by: Capt Caveman

Originally posted by: Megatomic

Originally posted by: Capt Caveman

Originally posted by: Megatomic
Hmmm, I've been running in my NB stability trainers lately. I wonder if that's why my legs are killing me ever since I bumped up to 13 miles?

How many miles do you have on them? Did you go from another type of shoe to stability? Note - I started out using motion control shoes and found that I got knee and itb issues. I went to a shoe with less stability and haven't had issues in years.

Maybe 500 miles. It's time for new shoes but they still feel fine when I walk in them. And this is my second pair of stability trainers, both NB brand. I have a pair of NB all terrain runners also, I'm going to try them today and see if my legs feel better.

Do your legs hurt at the end of your long runs or from the start now? 500 miles is probably your problem. I had a pair of shoes that just reached 450 miles. They feel fine walking around in but my ankles and knees hurt when I run in the them. Indication that they've broken down and time to switch to a new pair. They're dog walking and walk to work shoes now.

Pretty much from the beginning, but they do feel a bit better after a few miles. I wore my all terrains today, it didn't hurt as bad as when I wore my stability trainers, but it wasn't pain free by any means. I'll wear them on Sunday for my last long tuneup before the Medved event on May 3. Hopefully I can finish the whole 13 miles without hobbling.

 

[AeroEngy]

Originally posted by: RagingBITCH
Alien - the type of shoe you get depends on a lot of factors. The "simple", although not necessary conclusive (as evidenced by many runners in this thread) is the wet test. Get your feet wet and step on a piece of paper. The pronation shown on that paper gives a general indicator of what type of shoe you should get. (Neutral, stability, motion control) But again, you're better off heading to a running store and having them examine other factors too, as the wet test isn't 100% accurate.

For everyday usage and tennis - you're better off with a normal trainer or a tennis shoe, rather than spending money on a specialized running shoe.

Sorry if this is nit picking but the wet test is to determine your arch type (low, normal, high) not pronation.

A Low arch is more likely to be an overpronator and a high arch is more likely an underpronator. However, it is not definite.

I would agree that the best method is heading over to a running store and have a gait analysis on a treadmill.

 

[YijunRose]

Hi everr' body, I am a journalist student from NYU. Right now I'm planning to produce a short video story about choosing running shoes, and I need to interview someone who's in NYC and had suffered from injuries/pains due to wrong choice of running shoes. Luckily I found this post. Can anyone help me? If you can and you are willing to, please reach me at yh940@nyu.edu.

Have a good one to everybody!

 

[episodic]

So, about 15 years ago I was having significant shin splints from running and was diagnosed by a podiatrist with low arches. As a result, I was told that I needed running shoes with extra support, meaning the "stability" shoes that are out now. So, I have been shopping for those shoes since then. I frequently experience OUTER shin pain (it was inner previously, radiating up from behind the ankle) when running especially when my conditioning level is lower.

Yesterday, I went to a local running store which was hosting the Mizuno shoe company's traveling trailer which evaluates your feet and legs for the proper footwear (and happily promotes their own shoes, obviously). Well, lo and behold, the results of that evaluation said I need NEUTRAL shoes, not stability ones, because of the way my knee flexes when running. With the stability shoes, my feet are forced to lean outward which reinforces the outward knee flexion and increases pressure on my outer shins -- hence, outer shin pain!

Holy crap! All this time I have been dealing with this pain and thinking that it was the result of improper shoe cushioning when it was actually the result of too much! I wound up trying on and buying some Mizuno Wave Runners, and a video of me on the treadmill showed them to be a perfect fit for my stride (the store does some evaluation, too, to ensure a proper match).

Anyway, if anyone has the chance to be evaluated like this, I highly recommend it!! Had this happened many years ago, I would have been spared considerable pain and probably would be running more than I have been. I'm hitting the trail tonight with my new shoes.

I had the exact opposite experience. I started in stability shoes. Got evaluated - told that I needed neutral shoes - 1 week of running in them nearly destroyed me. Sent them back got the same model stability again - all is well now.

 

[iluvdeal]

I had a similar experience, I'm not a runner but I do Insanity type cardio workouts which have you jumping around, running, cutting, lots of different foot movements are required in single workout. The muscles at the bottom of my feet would feel like they are burning during such workouts, I attributed it to my foot muscles being weak. However on a whim I decided to switch shoes during such a workout to my chucks and the burning sensation immediately went away. So I guess flat soled shoes work best for me.

 

[YijunRose]

So, about 15 years ago I was having significant shin splints from running and was diagnosed by a podiatrist with low arches. As a result, I was told that I needed running shoes with extra support, meaning the "stability" shoes that are out now. So, I have been shopping for those shoes since then. I frequently experience OUTER shin pain (it was inner previously, radiating up from behind the ankle) when running especially when my conditioning level is lower.

Yesterday, I went to a local running store which was hosting the Mizuno shoe company's traveling trailer which evaluates your feet and legs for the proper footwear (and happily promotes their own shoes, obviously). Well, lo and behold, the results of that evaluation said I need NEUTRAL shoes, not stability ones, because of the way my knee flexes when running. With the stability shoes, my feet are forced to lean outward which reinforces the outward knee flexion and increases pressure on my outer shins -- hence, outer shin pain!

Holy crap! All this time I have been dealing with this pain and thinking that it was the result of improper shoe cushioning when it was actually the result of too much! I wound up trying on and buying some Mizuno Wave Runners, and a video of me on the treadmill showed them to be a perfect fit for my stride (the store does some evaluation, too, to ensure a proper match).

Anyway, if anyone has the chance to be evaluated like this, I highly recommend it!! Had this happened many years ago, I would have been spared considerable pain and probably would be running more than I have been. I'm hitting the trail tonight with my new shoes.

Hey Andrew, are you still active here? If you live in NYC, would you please talk with me about this experience about running shoes?

 

[Bateluer]

And I get chewed on in r/running for telling people to go to a real running store for running shoes. :/

Until you've gone through a fit test and know what works for you, you can't buy from Amazon off recommendations from online sources nor can you simply buy a pair of Vibrams because they're trendy.

 

[Fingolfin269]

Slight hijack - hope that's ok OP!

I found just off the shelf that I really liked the Nike Pegasus. My first pair of running shoes were Asics because someone told me they made good running shoes. I had no idea what I was doing, bought them, trained in them, ran a half in them, had no idea how bad they fit until I put on the Pegasus and ran for the first time.

Anyway, I went to our local "real" running store and asked them if they had any suggestions for shoes that fit like the Nike. The guy gave me a couple of similar shoes but ultimately I still liked the Pegasus fit best. He then told me afterwards that he figured I would probably end up saying something along those lines because most people who fit into those tend to have trouble with most other brands.

Anyone have thoughts on that? I've thought about trying again mainly because I want to give some other shoe brands a shot. To be honest it's because I like the (external) styles better.

 

[tracerbullet]

"Yijunrose" - it would be far more effective if you sent a PM (private message) to the person you are trying to get the attention of.

All others - check the date.