When did laces become lacing systems?

August 21, 2007 3:39 PM

Will the Saucony Grid Omni 5 Ultimates that I just bought ruin my feet?

I am not a runner. I go to a gym about 2 or 3 times a week and do cardio machines and take some classes. Athletic shoes have become ridiculously complicated and when I went to the local sporting good store (Sports Basement in San Francisco), I was a bit overwhelmed and ended up buying a pair of Saucony Grid Omni 5 Ultimates (women's). Not because I need them for running but they seemed comfortable and they were a good buy. I think I paid something like $30 for them as a clearance.

So now I've come home and looked around and see that all this talk about Neutral shoes and shoes for Over-pronation actually means something! These shoes seem to be be targeted to those who over-pronate. So I checked out my feet and the wear on my shoes and if anything, I'd say that I suffer from supination, seeing as the outside edge of the heel on almost all my shoes is worn out. Will these shoes enhance my experience? Will they cause problems? Is it no big deal since I don't really run? I've worn them twice now at the gym and nothing seems amiss but I guess I'm worried that I'm doing some sort of long term damage to my feet.

If it matters at all, I do suffer from knee pain occasionally.

posted by otherwordlyglow to sports, hobbies, & recreation (8 comments total)

the shoes are here.
posted by otherwordlyglow at 3:39 PM on August 21, 2007

I'm guessing they will be fine. You don't look at the heel for over pronation, you look at the ball of the foot area. A very small percentage of population actually supinates. And if your're not running > 10 miles a week, it shouldn't really matter either way.
posted by distrakted at 3:55 PM on August 21, 2007

They should be fine. The only thing they really do is provide extra support and resist twisting more than other shoes. For this you give up some cushioning.
posted by caddis at 3:58 PM on August 21, 2007

Agreed - if you aren't logging significant mileage on them, you'll be perfectly fine. And you certainly won't be doing any long term damage without accompanying short-term pain during/immediately after exercise.

If you do decide to start running, or if the answers here don't settle your doubts, take the shoes to a running store (rather than a general sporting goods store). They will have knowledgeable staff who can tell you whether or not the shoes will be harmful and can suggest alternative shoes if need be. Many running stores will perform a gait analysis to see whether or not you overpronate/supinate.
posted by taliaferro at 4:36 PM on August 21, 2007

Yeah. I guess I shouldn't worry too much about this. Thanks for the reassurance! (And don't worry, I won't decide to start running - it's the one thing I hate to do for exercise).
posted by otherwordlyglow at 4:59 PM on August 21, 2007

If you're concerned at all about your feet, a visit to LaFoot in Berkeley is worth considering.

They can teach you what you need to look for in a shoe to match any particular concern/problem you may have with your feet. It is the kind of expertise you probably wont find in any regular shoe store but that will help you make better shoe selections in the future--a good investment for the long term.
posted by quarterframer at 6:17 PM on August 21, 2007

Since you're not doing big mileage, the shoes should be fine. Do be careful with your knee. If these shoes seems to increase the frequency or intensity of the pain, then don't wear them.
posted by 26.2 at 2:23 PM on August 22, 2007

They should actually help your knees. If you pronate, or supinate, it puts a twisting force into your knee which can cause problems. A stability, or even better a motion control shoe, reduce this. Anyway, the best way to avoid knee pain for most people is to do some simple strengthening exercises for the muscles supporting the knee. That, and good shoes. If you have serious supination or pronation issues a good pair of footbeds or orthotics would also be in order, but it doesn't sound like that is your problem.
posted by caddis at 7:10 PM on August 22, 2007