Since the 1960’s and 1970’s, the first and ultimate “minimalist” running shoes have been racing flats.

Contrary to popular belief, the purpose of running shoes is simply to protect feet from glass, rocks, etc, -not- to provide “motion control”, -not- to provide “support”, and -not- to provide cushioning for your knees. Sport sciences wise, there is a paradox at work on the subject matter of running shoes.

There is no such thing as “high tech” running shoes that provide motion control and support. Shoes that go there are at the opposite end of the “high tech” spectrum. The situation very much is one where science and published research says don’t go there and don’t do that. Your expensive cushioning, arch support, and motion control shoes will add more pain to your wallet when your foot or knee –inevitably– has issues that you will approach as a medical issue.

Adding insult to injury [no pun intended], your expensive running shoes that provide cushioning, arch support, and motion control will eventually contribute to you missing days or weeks of running, or will add more issues to your wallet as your chosen practitioner of traditional sports quackery [a.k.a. Traditional Sports Medicine] holds up your knee MRI in your face and convinces you of all manner of nonsense that supposedly only their brand name of quackery can fix. Whether the subject is everyday walking and standing, or running shoes, don’t be putting stuff on your feet for decade after decade of life on this planet, that do things -for- your muscles and soft tissues that they really do need to be doing for themselves.

A bridge that isn’t strong enough to hold the cars that cross it, will cause somebody to get wet.

The solution isn’t to reduce the number of cars on the bridge but to increase the strength of the bridge to a level that can endure the loads placed on it.

Likewise, muscles and soft tissues that aren’t strong enough to endure the loads you place on them or the activities you put them through, will breakdown or tear, or in some other way fail to function.

Clinical reasoning 101

Surgery, shoe orthotics, running shoes with cushioning, arch support, and motion control…won’t increase the already inadequate strength of those tissues. Don’t go there. The norm is not normal.

Don’t allow decades of atrophy then start in with the rhetoric of “I can’t run because of my knees” or something about your age or aging.