How to choose your workout shoes

Vibrant Life, March-April, 1998 by Gary Vitti

What you need to know to buy the best athletic shoes for your feet.

Visitors to the Los Angeles Lakers' locker room/training room are surprised at the large number of styles (and, of course, large sizes) of athletic shoes that we stock for our players.

This results in the inevitable question What is the best shoe? My standard answer is The best shoe is the one right for you--the shoe that fits well, performs for you, and most important, does not give you problems.

We often see orthopedic injuries that are a direct result of an improper shoe or even because a player changed shoe models. Even some athletes who change to a better shoe may injure themselves.

In professional sports this can be a particular problem, because the athletes are offered shoe contracts. If the athlete has a contract for a shoe that works for them, great! But if that shoe gives the athlete problems, then there needs to be an evaluation of the benefits versus risks of the contract.

We try to counsel athletes to look at the bigger picture. The shoe company may be paying them to wear the shoe, but if it shortens their career by one or two seasons, that is not a very good financial deal--not to mention the physical pain the athlete must endure.

The types of injuries we see that are often related to shoes are: tendonitis, bursitis, bunions, hammer-toes, corns, calluses, blisters, shin splints, chondromalacia (soft cartilage), and stress fractures.

This Pandora's box of maladies occurs because in changing shoes you change the mechanics of the foot. The proper mechanics of running are for the foot to strike the ground slightly on the outside of the heel. The runner then bears weight on the outside of the foot momentarily until the rest of the foot meets the supporting surface, when the foot should roll in slightly. This is called pronation. Finally, we push off the big toe for propulsion.

Overpronation and underpronation are related to the height of the arch. Higher arches have a limited range of foot motion--a predisposing factor to an overly prorated foot. There are shoes built specifically to help control proration, but they may or may not help, and sometimes they cause blistering and other problems.

No one has perfect foot mechanics. What we do have is anatomical adaptation and compensation for our abnormal mechanics. The body will lay down soft tissue (collagen) and/or hard tissue (bone) according to the stresses that are put upon those structures.

We adapt to our stress. If you put too much stress on a body part before it has a chance to adapt, injury results. When you change shoes, you change the mechanics. So injury can occur during your body's adaptation process.

Some doctors prescribe orthotics--custom-made arch supports--to correct abnormal mechanics. Orthotics help many individuals, but they're not a panacea. In fact, even though they may correct a person's abnormal foot mechanics, they may cause as many problems as they correct. Orthotics should be broken in slowly.

Different types of specialty shoes are available for the type of activity you're doing. Running shoes have shock absorption in the heel, with more flexibility in the front of the toe. Walking shoes have their cushioning at the ball of the foot, where most of the stress occurs. Tennis shoes require lateral stability because of the side-to-side motion of the sport. Cross-trainers combine many features. If you can, it is important to use sport-specific shoes.

Besides cushioning and stability, fit is extremely important. When you participate in an activity, your foot expands, so it is best to fit shoes after a run. Try on the shoe wearing the same kind of socks you'll wear during your workouts. The shoe should have one thumb's breadth of space from the longest toe to the edge of the shoe.

Some shoes come in varying widths, and some shoe companies make a narrower shoe as a rule. Women with wider feet should consider buying men's shoes. Shoes are also manufactured with different amounts of shock absorption and rigidity.

To help you select shoes, many companies have toll-free phone numbers to call for information about their shoes. By all means, consult a trained professional before buying a different model shoe than you are accustomed to.

When you find the shoe that is right for you, buy two pairs, and use them on alternating days. Continual sweating will hasten a shoe's eventual breakdown. Alternating pairs of shoes will allow them to dry thoroughly before the next wearing, extending their life.

It's hard to stay in the same shoe, because athletic shoes are a $1 billion industry, and companies are continuously discontinuing models for new ones. So when your local shoe store clears out a particular model you favor, buy as many pairs as you can. Staying in a shoe style that has been right for you is the best choice you can make.

Gary Vitti is the trainer for the National Basketball Association's Los Angeles Lakers. Copyright [C] 1997, Gary Vitti. Distributed by Los Angeles Times Syndicate.