Do you all remember when I was going to physical therapy and my PT told me that I run with a flare ( and not a good flare). My right leg and knee flare out and I don't know how to control it. You would think it would be as easy as JUST DONT DO IT. But its not. Sometimes I really think about it on my runs and I try to straighten it out but to be honest, unless you told me I was doing it, I would never know that's what I was doing.
So anyway, when I had the opportunity to go to a running seminar at my local running store, I went.
After the seminar I stuck around and got some individual attention from the owner. She watched me walk and run. I didn't even have to tell her what my problem was because she spotted it right away.
In an effort to keep my knee straight when I run, she suggested a shoe with more of a rocking motion, something that can help with my initial "push off". She had me try on several pairs that she thought would work for me. She had me run up and down the sidewalk outside of her shop. At this point I was letting the shoe decision entirely up to her. Which shoes did she think helped my form the best?
So, we decided on what pair she thought was best. I was actually surprised that the price was reasonable to. I wore these new shoes around the house all weekend, and then took them for a 4 mile run that Monday. After the first mile, I just wasn't feeling the comfort in these shoes. They were feeling a little too narrow for me and by mile 3 I knew a blister was starting to form.
My initial thought on these shoes was that they weren't going to work for me. They just didn't make me excited to want to lace them up and go run. I felt bad at first and thought that maybe I should give them another try but honestly, if I didn't like them after 4 miles, I didn't see the need to get them any more dirty than I had already got them if I was going to return them anyway.
So, they went back to the store and I did find another pair I am currently trying out.
If you find yourself in the same situation as me and have one foot or knee that flares out more, you might want to try one of these shoes that gives you a better lift off and therefore puts your knee in a straighter position.
1. Brooks Ghost
2. Altra Torin
3. Altra Paradigm
4. Adidas Energy Boost
5. Saucony Ride
After speaking with a shoe brand representative who is also a medical student studying in bio mechanics, he told me that this type of shoe can help with my problem but it would merely just be a band-aid for what is really wrong. He suggested that my flare out had something to do with a pelvic problem. Since then I had got X-rays done in that area and everything is fine so I don't really know what my flare problem is stemming from, but I hope the shoes do help straighten it out. ~M
Anyone else have a problem with their knee or foot flaring out? have you found a pair of shoes that help your running form?