The Monday Shakeout: How Do I Choose Running Shoes For Two Different Feet?
By Matthew Klein
This week Matt discusses how to navigate fitting shoes for two different feet. It is common to have different needs on each foot, which can make choosing shoes difficult. Matt does his best to provide a simple guide for choosing them.
This may come as a surprise to many, but most people do not have two similar feet. There is endless evidence that we are asymmetrical creatures. Laterality (left or right) is common, which often results in different slightly musculature, tone and coordination between sides. Human development can naturally lead to differences when a person weight bears or pivots off of one lower extremity more than the other. Our organs are not symmetrical, with the heart, liver, stomach and other organs either off to one side or for organs that we have two of (kidneys, lungs) being at different positions on each side of the body. With these examples, stating the majority of people have two different feet should not be surprising. It is common normal for the length, width, arch height and more to be different between the two feet of one person. This may be fine to learn that this is common but a problem arises from this. How do you pick running shoes (or shoes in general) for two different feet? Running companies do not sell single shoes or asymmetrical pairs (a few used to). So what do you need to do in regards to length, width, stability and more?
How to Choose the Right Shoe for You
The first thing you need to do is prioritize and get to know your feet. When it comes to length, you will need to accommodate the longer foot. A slightly long shoe is far less problematic than one that is slightly short. Feet naturally swell during running, so it is better to have extra room than none at all. The same concept will apply to the width. It is better to have a wider shoe than one that is too narrow as feet generally increase in volume, not decrease. There is more room (no pun intended) to play with here as some shoes will have uppers and laces that can stretch or you can lace them to provide extra room. However, the tolerance of the wider foot shoe should be prioritized. When it comes to other fit elements, like arch height, the more sensitive foot should be prioritized. Someone with a more sensitive lower arch on one foot should pay more attention to that foot, whereas someone with a more sensitive higher arch may need to pay attention to that foot. Because insoles can be replaced, this is not as big of a deal and can be modified, but prioritizing the more sensitive foot in this regard is key.
Stability Needs
When it comes to stability, that is when things get tricky. Clinically, I have observed that many people have different stability needs between each foot and often in completely different areas. With injuries, initially, the stability level should match the injured side. If someone finds that stability shoes work better for them, then long-term, there are some things to consider. IF the non-impacted side can tolerate any level of stability (mild, moderate, motion control, etc), then shoes should be picked based on the affected side. If the non-affected side is sensitive to stability, then when symptoms have calmed down on the affected side, you will need to find a stability level between the two that is tolerable to both sides. This is why I think we should have more mild stability shoes and where stable neutral shoes often do well, is to balance between the needs of the two different feet. For those with more severe stability needs, like a full-on motion control shoe, a moderate stability shoe may be a good midway point.
Making Sacrifices
The key to finding a shoe for two different feet is compromise. There are some things you can't compromise, like shoe length (also go based on the longer foot). However, other elements may require a compromise between the different feet, like stability (depending on whether an injury or pathology is present). How much you need to compromise will depend on your feet. I would highly suggest using comfort to help guide this and the more experience you have, the quicker you will be able to figure this out. Much of this is an experiment, as everyone is different, has different mechanics and different tolerances. Hopefully, the above helps create some structure for you to work from and learn what you need.
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NEXT: How Do I Know if I Can Use X Shoe for a Marathon?