When you consider the forces being absorbed by your body as you run, you’ll realize that your
running shoes are the most important piece of equipment a runner can buy. So be sure that shoe really fits! Our physical therapy team can help, with a PT Works Running Shoe Fit.

Who should have a running shoe assessment? Anyone who plans to spend time running for recreation, fitness or training for a race. A properly fitting shoe will provide comfort and the correct balance of support and cushioning to make running more enjoyable and reduce your injury potential.

“Oh, I just buy what's on sale.” Do you feel lucky? Well, luck is what it amounts to if you select your running shoes this way. We recommend that you make a visit to a reputable running store and talk to a knowledgeable staff who can answer your questions. Running shoes come in three categories: neutral shoes for the efficient runner, stability shoes for the slight pronator and motion control shoes for the severe pronator. But how do you know which one to choose? That depends on whether you have a high or low arch, if you are an early or late pronator, have a forefoot varus or tibia varum. Do you have any asymmetries?

Sounds complicated? It is. That's why you need a PT Works Running Shoe Fit.

What can PT works can do for you? As medical professionals, we’ll begin with a detailed interview and medical history. Reporting all of your past injuries of your feet, ankles, knees, hips and lower back is very important. Sometimes these minor or major injuries will lead to a compensation pattern and can be the root cause of several problems. This detail will lead us into the right direction in terms of the proper shoe fit for you.

Examination: We’ll run you through a full musculoskeletal and functional mobility stability assessment. Your current mobility, strength and stability will affect your comfort and efficiency while you run. We will carefully assess your foot and ankle biomechanics. Much of this assessment will occur while you're standing or walking barefoot, so we can visualize your unique biomechanics.

Video motion analysis: Walking and running is a complex activity. That’s why we videotape your walking / running and analyze your biomechanics frame by frame. This way we can review your unique style and make shoe recommendations for your specific needs.

What you take home: We will give you a shoe recommendation form that can be taken to the running store of your choice. Finally, we’ll make recommendations of which corrective exercises are needed to keep you healthy and happy while training. You may have a flexibility problem or a strength and stability problem that could be cleaned up with a few simple exercises, which you could do at home or at the gym.

“Oh, I just buy what's on sale?” That’s not the way to go. Because you can’t discount the
importance of body mechanics.

At a turnover rate of 80 rpm, the average runner will make approximately 4,800 foot strikes in a 30-minute run. The ground reaction forces, or the force of the earth pushing up on your body, is equal to 3 times your body weight for each foot strike. For a 150-pound runner, that equals 450 pounds of force to be absorbed at each step. Multiply that by 5,000 foot strikes in a 30 minute run equals 2,160,000 pounds of force to be absorbed by the body in a short training run. Now imagine the forces being absorbed as you train for several months for your goal race!.