Getting the correct amount of support in your running shoes is crucial. Not knowing how to choose the correct amount of support is a common mistake made when buying road running shoes.
If you are looking for Trail Shoes this is less of a Task as all 'Off - Road' Running Shoes are designed with a high level of support to Prevent you from rolling your ankles on Uneven Surfaces and Terrains. Making Comfort and practicality your key deciders. With Road Shoes , Unfortunately it is not as easy as grabbing a Shoe from the wall and hoping for the best. Road Shoes are designed differently, some have added 'control' and others do not. This means you may need to have what is called a 'Gait Analysis'. This involves running on a treadmill and having your running style analysed to see how your arches perform whilst 3 - 4 x your own bodyweight is put through a shoe which highlights everything. A Key Process called 'Overpronation' is looked for which is what can be linked to a variety of different running related injuries in people with a Flat Foot and Weak Arch. This is continuous rolling and collapse which in turn loads the body with unalignment and puts strain on all lower limb muscles. It is important to check if you 'Overpronate' as if you do, you need added arch support and 'control' in your running shoes. - Stability Shoes. It can also be tackled by the use of an Insole or through exercises to strengthen up muscles around the arch of the foot.
Other ways to check for Overpronation can be done at home with a wet foot. Standing on cardboard will reveal a footprint. If this footprint is very visible and you can see most of the foot (Arch) you have a Flat Foot and are likely to Overpronate. If not and you can see some of the Foot but not all, then you are likely to have a high arch and less likely to 'Overpronate).
Some runners require arch support in their shoes to counteract against a process called overpronation. The support works to get the arch in a maintained upright position to prevent unalignment and strain being placed on lower limb muscles of the body. Support in shoes generally works as a dense block placed beneath the medial arch to prevent it rolling inwards or it can be in the form of a newly designed technology called a guide rail. This is a rail placed in the shoe which guides the foot forwards and backwards within one plane of movement whilst eliminating the side to side motion which is what causes damage.
Getting it right comes down to 'Trial and Error'. Support is unique and what works for somebody will not work for everybody as the way it is designed throughout brands is different. This is why trying a selection of shoes on with support is great as you can feel it and run in it to see if it has corrected your fallen Arch.