Charlie can remember when Chuck Taylor Converse All-Stars were state-of-the-art in athletic shoes. At $5.45 a pair (1954 prices), they were more expensive than other shoes but worth the premium.

Generally known as tennis shoes or sneakers, most athletic shoes at that time were pretty much the same. Whether your sport was tennis, basketball, touch football, softball or volleyball, the shoe was designed to give you some traction...and not much else.

With the running boom of the 1980s, recreational athletes began to experience the ecstasy of the 10K race...and the agony of da feet. In a few years, shoe technology was revolutionized–creating a $12.8 billion yearly market for shoe companies and important protection for the feet and legs of athletes.

Still favored as a casual shoe by many in the punk generation, Chuck Taylor All Stars sport a familiar stripe for appearance and a canvas high top to give the ankles some support. But it’s hard to imagine running a marathon–or even a 10K in a pair of Chuck Taylors.

The typical athletic shoe today is much lighter and makes use of special materials and designs to provide shock absorption, cushioning, stability, motion control–all depending on the activity and the needs of the individual athlete. Good shoes are equally important for aerobic dancing, stair stepping, soccer, basketball or any other physical activity.

Whether you’re a professional athlete or a weekend warrior, choosing the right shoe is crucial–not only to performance but also to comfort and safety. The wrong shoe–no matter what the price or reputation–can be a major cause of injuries, including tendinitis, bursitis, bunions, hammertoes, corns, calluses, blisters, shin splints and stress fractures.

If you choose your workout shoes on the basis of color, style or brand name, you’re asking for trouble. For making educated decisions, here are few tips.

Be Sport Specific: Even today, many individuals take the one-shoe, many sports attitude. If you’re a runner, you may wear the same shoes when you come to the gym to lift weights or work out on the StairMaster. That’s not a good idea.

A running shoe needs good cushioning in the heel and a relatively flexible forefoot. Walking, on the other hand, puts more stress on the front of the foot, so that’s where the shoe needs cushioning. Tennis shoes need good lateral stability to accommodate side-to-side movements.

Cross trainers may be a solution, particularly if you have a lot of variety in your exercise. Generally speaking, however, having sport specific shoes will give you more of what you need.

Know about Pronation: The majority of Americans are either over-pronators or under-pronators. Over-pronators tend to have a low arch and roll their feet to the inside, pushing off the inside edge of the forefoot. Under-pronators, who often have a high arch, don’t roll in enough, and as a result finish a stride on the outer edge of the foot, near the big toe.

You can tell whether you’re an over- or under-pronator by looking at the wear pattern on the soles of your exercise shoes. It’s normal to strike the heel on the outside edge so that part of the shoe should be worn down. But if the forefoot shows excessive wear on the inside, you’re an over-pronator and need a shoe with motion control to compensate.

If you’re an under-pronator, on the other hand, the wear will be along the outside, near the little toe. Generally speaking, under-pronators need more flexibility in their shoes–and sometimes more cushioning than over-pronators.

While motion control is built into the body of the shoe, stability comes from the heel counter–the part that cups the heel. Stability in the rear foot is important for anyone and particularly for over-pronators.

Most good athletic shoes today have a stiff, firm heel counter. New shoes that lack this feature should be avoided, and old shoes in which the heel counter has broken down should be thrown out.

The staff in any good athletic shoe store should be knowledgeable about such matters and able to help you find a shoe that accommodates your biomechanics.

If the Shoe Fits: Probably more important than any feature of a shoe is how it fits and how it feels on your foot when you’re exercising.

Shop for shoes in the afternoon when your feet may be slightly swollen. Wear the socks you wear for exercise, and don’t buy any shoe that doesn’t feel comfortable right now.

Even if you’ve always worn a size 10, that doesn’t mean you can buy that size off the rack. Sizing standards vary with the manufacturer, and feet also get wider and longer with age and with increased weight.

It’s important that you have a roomy toe box and adequate width across the broadest part of the foot but with a snug fit at the heel to keep the shoe from slipping and causing blisters. There should a thumb’s width between the tip of your big toe and the front of the shoe.

By all means, try both shoes on and walk around in them before buying. Some stores have a treadmill or let you go outside and run in the shoe to see how it feels.

And when you find a shoe that works for you, stick with it–although this is difficult since shoe companies tend to discontinue old models rather rapidly. Changing shoes changes the mechanics of the foot and puts you at risk of injury.

Whatever it is that makes one shoe feel right for you, trust it. Even high-profile professional athletes paid to promote a specific shoe often develop injuries when they shift out of a favorite old model.

Below the Surface: The final thing to consider is what kind of surface you will be using the shoe on.

Those who run on concrete need durable soles and plenty of shock absorption. If you’re hiking or running on trails, you need bumpers to protect your toes from rocks and roots, soles with deep treads and, depending on the climate, weather-resistant uppers.

The Decision To Buy: The days of the $5.45 athletic shoes have gone the way of the nickel cigar. Most quality athletic shoes today will cost $70 to $85 a pair, but you don’t get any guarantee of higher quality by spending more.

If you have a shoe model that you like, look for close-outs at the end of the season, which are often marked down below $50.

Don’t make the mistake of running in worn-out shoes. Achy legs and feet, with no change in training, can usually be traced directly to a worn-out pair of shoes. Wait too long, and you’re likely to end up with tendinitis or even a stress fracture. One foot doctor estimated that 15 percent of injuries can be traced to wornout shoes or the wrong type of shoes.

Running shoes can be expected to last 300 to 500 miles; walking shoes maybe a 100 miles longer. Tennis or racquetball shoes wear out after about six to nine months, assuming you play an hour a week.

REFERENCES:
Edwin W. Brown, “Avoid the Shoes with Thick, Soft Soles!” Medical Update, June, 1997.
Marilyn DeMartini, “Cross-Training Shoes,” Women’s Sports and Fitness, January-February, 1998.
Bill Donohue, “What’s in Store,” Runner’s World, February, 2001.
“Put Your Best Foot Forward,” Current Health 2, December, 1997.
“Put Your Feet First,” Men’s Health, March, 2001.
“10 Tips for Choosing Shoes,” IDEA Health and Fitness Source, April, 2000.
Gary Vitti, “How To Choose Your Workout Shoes,” Vibrant Life, March-April, 1998.
Antonia Whyatt, “Shoes Made Simple: A Buyer’s Guide to the Biomechanics of Sneakers,” Women’s Sports and Fitness, June, 1998.
Bob Wischnia and Paul Carrozza, “Winter 2000 Shoe Buyer’s Guide,” Runner’s World, December, 2000.