If you spend a lot of time figuring out what kind of running shoe is best suited to your foot, you are probably wasting your efforts according to a study published in The American Journal of Sports Medicine.  Analyzing the foot shapes of 1,400 Marine Corps recruits, the recruits were divided into 2 groups. One group got a running shoe that was tailored to whether they under- or over-pronated their foot. The second group got a stability shoe regardless of their type of pronation or foot shape. All injuries were recorded including overuse injuries and injuries to tendons and ligaments.

Regardless of foot type and shoe assigned, there was no statistical difference in injury rates according to the lead author of the study, Dr. Joseph Knapik.

Pronation refers to how one’s foot rolls and distributes weight when it strikes the ground. Underpronators don’t roll their foot enough, overpronators roll their foot too far inward. The Naval Health Research Center funded the research in the hopes of decreasing injuries. The study results agreed with other similar studies done with Army and Air Force recruits.

The bottom line: buy running shoes that are comfortable without worrying about what type of pronator you are. You can read more about the study at this link.

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