Thirsty (for knowledge) Thursday: the Best Running Shoes for You

I came across an article this week that looked at a Cochrane review study to see if certain styles of running shoes prevent injuries more than others. Here are the big takeaways:

• Do neutral/cushioned shoes result in more or fewer injuries than minimalist shoes? The choice of shoe “may make little or no difference,” the authors write, and there isn’t even a clear agreement on which style runners prefer more. (In one study, people were more satisfied with the minimalist shoes; in another, it was the reverse.)

• Do motion-control shoes result in more or fewer injuries than neutral/cushioned shoes? “It is uncertain... because the quality of the evidence has been assessed as very low certainty.” In other words, the studies don’t give a clear answer.

• Do shoes with a soft midsole result in more or fewer injuries than those with a hard midsole? “Soft midsole shoes may make little or no difference to the number of runners sustaining a lower limb running injury when compared with hard midsole shoes.”

• Do stability shoes result in more or fewer injuries than neutral/cushioned shoes? “It is uncertain whether or not stability shoes reduce the number of runners sustaining a lower limb running injury when compared with neutral/cushioned shoes.”

• Do stability shoes result in more or fewer injuries than motion-control shoes? “It is uncertain whether or not motion control shoes reduce the number of runners sustaining a lower limb running injury when compared with stability shoes.”

• And finally, the big question: Does prescribing shoes based on foot type reduce injury? “There was no evidence that running shoes prescribed based on static foot posture reduced the number of injuries compared with those who received a shoe not prescribed based on foot posture in military recruits.”

Cochrane reviews are highly regarded as being able to settle questions like these to the best of science’s current ability. And this one, with all its data points, was not able to conclude that any category of shoe reduces injury compared to others. What’s more, they found that there’s no evidence that you can reduce injury by finding the right shoe for you.

Many of the studies they looked at were of "low certainty," so who knows how much we should take away from this. I can get on board with the first bullet points, but I sort of always thought the last one would have been flipped. (Sort of for similar reasons as this study about how stretching might not help for injuries, but if YOU think you need to stretch, then it DOES help you.)

For more "Thirsty Thursday" posts that highlight workouts, body science, and all kinds of interesting information, CLICK HERE. As always, check back for some "Friday Funnies" tomorrow!