10 Tips for Choosing Athletic Shoes

Proper-fitting shoes make all the difference whether you walk or run.

By Christina Frank
WebMD Feature

Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

Running and walking are among the purest, most natural forms of exercise around. With newfangled innovations like Freon-filled midsoles and pump-it-up tongues, it's knowing which shoes to buy that seems to require an advanced degree.

Choose the wrong athletic shoes and you could end up lying on the couch nursingshin splints or aching heels instead of enjoying a brisk walk or run.

Recommended Related to Fitness & Exercise

The Real-World Workout

Read the The Real-World Workout article > >

While most specialty sport-shoe stores have knowledgeable staff to guide you, you'll be a few steps ahead of the game armed with some basic knowledge about your feet and their specific needs. Here is some expert advice to heed before buying new footwear:

Don't make shoes multitask. Walking shoes are stiffer; running shoes are more flexible, with extra cushioning to handle greater impact. If you do both activities, get a pair for each one.

Know your foot. Sure, we've all got 10 toes and two heels, but beyond that, feet come in a variety of shapes -- and knowing your foot's particular quirks is key to selecting the right pair of shoes. Most major brands now offer a model to suit every foot type.

One way to determine your foot's shape is to do a "wet test"--- wet your foot, step on a piece of brown paper and trace your footprint. Or just look at where your last pair of shoes shows the most wear.

If your footprint shows the entire sole of your foot with little to no curve on the inside -- or if your shoes show the most wear on the inside edge -- it means you've got low arches or flat feet and tend toward overpronation -- meaning your feet roll inward. Overpronation can create extra wear on the outside heel and inside forefoot. You'll want a shoe with a motion-control feature and maximum support.

If the footprint shows only a portion of your forefoot and heel with a narrow connection between the two -- or if your shoes wear out mostly on the outside edge -- you have high arches and tend to underpronate (also called supinate), meaning your feet roll outward. Underpronation causes wear on the outer edge of the heel and the little toe. Look for a cushioned shoe with a soft midsole.

You have a neutral arch if your footprint has a distinct curve along the inside and your shoes wear out uniformly. Look for a "stability" shoe, which has the right mix of cushioning and support.

Feet Change

Measure your foot frequently. "It's a myth that foot size doesn't change in adults," says Steven Raiken, MD. "It does change as we get older, so have your feet measured twice a year. Sizes also vary between brands, so go by what fits, not by what size the shoe is." Raiken is director of the foot and ankle service at the Rothman Institute at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia.

Shop toward the end of the day. Feet swell over the course of the day; they also expand while you run or walk, so shoes should fit your feet when they're at their largest.

Bring your own socks -- the ones you wear while running or walking. If you wear orthotics, bring those, too. Shoes need to fit with the orthotic inside.

Don't believe in breaking in. Running and walking shoes should feel comfortable right away, Raiken tells WebMD. Walk or run around the store a bit to make sure they feel good in action.

Use the rule of thumb. There should be about 3/8-1/2 inch between the front of your big toe and the end of the shoe -- about a thumb's width. The heel should fit relatively tightly; your heel should not slip out when you walk. The upper part of the shoe -- which goes over the top of your foot -- should be snug and secure, and not too tight anywhere. The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons writes that when fitting in to an athletic shoe you should be able to freely wiggly all of your toes when the shoe is on.

Understand the bells and whistles. Some models of running shoes look better suited to a space mission than a run in the park, but some of those groovy-looking features actually serve a purpose. Clear inserts, filled with gel, Freon, or air, provide extra shock absorption, as do those springy-looking things. These features are especially good for people who tend to get heel pain, says Raiken, and not so good for people whose ankles twist easily, as shoes with extra cushioning tend to provide less traction.

Some shoes allow you to pump up the tongue, which lets people with difficult-to-fit feet achieve a more customized fit.

Don't over- or underpay. Good-quality running and walking shoes are fairly pricey -- and usually worth it. "A $15-shoe will not be as good as an $80-shoe," says Raiken. But you'll pay a premium for super-fashionable styles or those associated with a celebrity -- and they won't be any better for your feet.

Know when to replace them. The average pair of running shoes should be replaced after about 350-400 miles of use, says Clifford Jeng, MD, a foot and ankle surgeon at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore, Md. Better yet, go by how your shoes look and feel. Once the back of the sole is worn out or the shoe feels uncomfortable or less supportive, it's time to take those tootsies shopping again.

The Nike Story!!!

When most people think of Nike, they think of superstar athletes like Michael Jordan, Mia Hamm, and Tiger Woods. When Nike's own employees think of their company, they think of a retired university track coach, an Olympic runner whose career ended tragically in a 1975 car crash, and a so-so athlete whose achievements as an entrepreneur far outpaced his accomplishments as a runner.

Most people have heard of Nike CEO Phil Knight, a middle-distance runner who turned selling shoes out of his car into a footwear-and-apparel colossus. But few know of Nike cofounder Bill Bowerman, Knight's coach, or of Steve Prefontaine, the now-deceased runner who was also coached by Bowerman and whose crusade for better equipment inspired Bowerman and Knight to build the Nike empire. Yet, inside Nike, those three figures are more relevant to the company's sense of identity than any of its superstar spokespeople.

Why? Because Nike has made understanding its heritage an intrinsic part of its corporate culture. Think of this approach as internal branding: The stories that you tell about your past shape your future. Which is why, these days, Nike has a number of senior executives who spend much of their time serving as "corporate storytellers" -- explaining the company's heritage to everyone from vice presidents and sales reps to the hourly workers who run the cash registers at Nike's stores. "Our stories are not about extraordinary business plans or financial manipulations," explains Nelson Farris, 57, Nike's director of corporate education and the company's chief storyteller. "They're about people getting things done."

And like all great stories, the ones about Nike offer archetypes that people can learn from. When Nike's leaders tell the story of how Coach Bowerman, after deciding that his team needed better running shoes, went out to his workshop and poured rubber into the family waffle iron, they're not just talking about how Nike's famous "waffle sole" was born. They're talking about the spirit of innovation. Likewise, when new hires hear tales of Prefontaine's battles to make running a professional sport and to attain better-performing equipment, they hear stories of Nike's commitment to helping athletes.

Over the past couple of years, Nike has experienced the roller coaster that lots of companies ride: euphoric periods of growth followed by setbacks and public backlash. But through all of these ups and downs, winning companies hold on to their values. "To survive those downtimes," explains Farris, "you have to understand what real teamwork is -- keeping promises, keeping commitments. Not everyone understood this, but both Knight and Prefontaine did, because that's what Bowerman taught his athletes. As one of our first employees said, 'Not everyone grew up on the track with Bowerman. They didn't understand what it took to be great.' "

To foster that kind of understanding, the company launched its corporate-storytelling program. When the program started, in the late 1970s, it was an hour-long lesson given to new employees when they arrived to sign their W-2s. Today, orientation lasts two days, and the story of Nike's heritage is the first item on the agenda. With the company back on the growth track, Farris envisions a day when the orientation process will last a week and take place at "Nike University."

Storytelling isn't just for new hires. Each "Ekin" ("Nike" spelled backwards) -- Ekins are tech reps known for their Swoosh ankle tattoos -- undergoes a nine-day Rookie Camp at Nike headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon. A full day is spent in Eugene, where Ekins run at the Hayward field track (where Bowerman coached) and visit the site of Prefontaine's fatal car crash. "We're connecting what we're doing today back to Nike's heritage," says Dennis Reeder, 45, Ekins training manager.

As Nike gets even bigger, its storytellers feel that their mission becomes even more critical. "Every company has a history," says Dave Pearson, 43, a training manager and storyteller. "But we have a little bit more than a history. We have a heritage, something that's still relevant today. If we connect people to that, chances are that they won't view Nike as just another place to work."