Stability Vs. Arch Support.

All of us at some point try to find out how much support a shoe truly has. Sometimes we find ourself looking at how substantial the shoe looks, or we stick our hands down the inside to feel the arch. Believe it or not running shoes don't literally offer arch support, but rather a term we used in the last post "Stability."

As explained in an earlier post when we Over Pronate our ankles roll inwards. Within this excessive movement we shift our weight to the inside of our feet. Now think, if we shift our weight towards the inside in a soft shoe, then it would increase that motion because it has no resistance? That's exactly the case, without something to resist this inward roll then our feet would continue to Over Pronate. Now a shoe with an actual arch in it wouldn't resist that motion because all it's doing is lifting up your arch. This doesn't mean that arch support doesn't do anything, but it doesn't help in this situation so we have Stability.

For those of you who may or may not have been fitted for running shoes, you may notice either a speckled or gray piece of foam directly underneath the arch/ankle. This right here is called a  medial post, and it is the key component to offering correction to Over Pronation. This foam is twice as dense than regular midsole foam; making it harder and more resistant to movement. Once the foot begins to shift weight to the inside this added extra dense foam compresses less, and therefore it stops excessive pronation. Now everyone pronates to a different level,. some more than others. In response to this, each shoe will offer a different level of stability. For example a Motion Control shoe will offer more dual density foam than a Stability shoe, so therefore it's designed for a more excessive pronator.

Arch support is a totally different component which often times has to be added with an innersole into a shoe. There are an endless combination of foot types. Not everyone with flat feet Over Pronates, which means that someone with a high arch can Over Pronate as well, so a person with a perfect arch can Over Pronate as well. If someone doesn't need additional arch support, then may find it uncomfortable in their shoes. Therefore shoes won't offer arch support, and if the runner feels they need it, then there are several insert brands on the market that will offer various feels and amount of lift.

In the end what makes a shoe, technically speaking, more supportive is how much Stability it has to offer. With Over Pronation being the more serious issue to correct in our feet, shoes are going to meet that need by offer different levels of correction.

If you want to see how much Stability, and or what type of shoe your foot needs check out your local running store and get your gait examined.

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The Brooks Beast With The Dual Density Foam Stability Post.

8/31/13