When we begin running, we often throw on our old sneakers and head out on the road. Once bitten by the running bug, we start to search out better running shoes that can help us get the most from our miles. Consulting an expert at a sports footwear shop can be very useful but having a gait analysis done can reveal surprising facts about how your feet interact with the running surface.
Why is that important? Your feet are not independent. When they strike the ground, it sends shock up through the ankles, knees, hips and lower back. If you run with a poor gait you may develop injuries in any of these areas, as they struggle to compensate.
A gait analysis can be conducted on an electronic foot pad, but this may only give an indication of walking footfall. A video gait analysis may yield more useful results. Typically, you will be asked to run for a few minutes on a treadmill as cameras record your footfall. An expert can slow down the video to analyse exactly how your feet are falling.
Usually, a gait analysis will be looking for signs of your feet rolling away from a neutral position. If they tend to roll out (lifting the inside of the foot), it’s called supination or underpronation. If the feet roll in (lifting the outside of the foot) it’s called overpronation. Many people have some degree of rolling in one way or the other, and overpronation is far more common.
When you know how your feet roll, there are a few things you can do to help support them. You can choose to buy specialised footwear that has inbuilt support structures to encourage the feet to fall more evenly. You may also be able to use specialised sports performance insoles to help correct footfall if you are otherwise happy with your running shoe selection. Insoles may also extend the life of the shoe, further reducing the stress on the joints as you run.
About Enertor Advanced Technology Insoles – Enertor insoles are designed to prevent a number of common running injuries and provide more comfort. Designed by leading podiatrists to reduce your risk of injury, the unique design features support your foot throughout training. Enertor insoles are enhanced by D3O impact protection technology, which means they can provide more shock absorption than any other insole. Our expertise, combined with the patented D3O shock absorption technology, enables Enertor to deliver the most advanced injury prevention insoles on the market today.
Enertor insoles are available to buy from our online shop.
Whilst Enertor has over 18 years Orthotics experience, our blog content is provided for informational purposes only and it is not a substitute for your own doctor’s medical advice. Enertor advises anyone with an injury to seek their own medical advice – and do not make any health or medical related decisions based solely on information found on this site.
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