Shoe lore, of dubious provenance, is rampant in running communities.
(This requires an evaluation at your local running store.)
Another idea is that you either need to wear minimalist shoes, or that you shouldneverwear minimalist shoes.
But none of these ideas have any solid scientific backing.
Do our shoes really determine our injury risk?
Anew Cochrane reviewasked that question, and got a big ol shrug.
The review looked at studies that compared different types of shoes.
Stability shoes are similar, aiming to reduce that motion somewhat.
Neutral shoes dont make a run at change the motion of your foot strike in any particular direction.
Cushioned shoes are neutral shoes with extra cushioning.
And then there are shoes with harder and softer midsoles.
But instead, the meta-analysis of 12 studies involving more than 11,000 participants found nothing really actionable.
In other words, the studies dont give a clear answer.
The results come with a big grain of salt.
Reviews are only as good as the studies theyre reviewing.
As the authors note, many of the studies available to them were of low certainty.
One exception is the part about prescribing shoes based on foot punch in.
That one is on more solid footing, with what they call moderate certainty evidence.
So what running shoes should I buy?
That doesnt mean itsimpossiblethat shoe choice affects injury risk.
Ultimately, Id say that if youre happy with your shoes, theres no need to change anything.
(I ended up running a pain-free marathon in that pop in of shoe.)
Shoe companies need to convince you that their new shoe is better than whatever youre wearing now.
Running stores and running publications need to convince you that you need their expertise.
