Flat footed runners need arch support?

Flat footed runners need arch support?

Reference:Nielsen RO, et al. Foot pronation is not associated with increased injury risk in novice runners wearing a neutral shoe: a 1-year prospective cohort study. Br J Sports Med. 2013 Jun 13.

If you have flat feet and wish to start running, you better choose a supportive “motion control” shoe to reduce your risk of injury, right? NOT!

This was a 1-year Danish epidemiological study that investigated the running distance to first running-related injury in almost 1000 novice runners wearing neutral running shoes.

Irrespective of their foot posture (i.e. supinated, neutral or pronated) all the runners were given the same neutral running shoe (Adidas Supernova Glide 3).

Within the one year period, one quarter of the runners developed some kind of running related lower extremity injury that limited their running for at least one week.

Result: In fact they discovered that the incidence rate of running injury in the runners with mild to moderate pronation was significantly LESS than those with either supinated or neutral feet.

“Foot pronation is not associated with increased injury risk in novice runners wearing a neutral shoe.”

Conclusion: Although still controversial, this study contradicts the general belief that pronating runners are at increased risk of injury if they run in a neutral running shoe.

I have flat feet and am proud of them and have never considered orthotics or high arch shoes for running. In fact I love my non-supportive Vibram 5-finger shoes.

Posted on: September 26, 2013

Categories: Foot & Ankle