You probably have a number of different shoes in your closet. You have multiple pairs of everyday shoes, dress shoes and sandals, but if you’re like most people, you may only have one set of shoes that you wear during exercise. If you’ve invested in an athletic shoe or a running shoe, you may assume that’s all you need for your workouts.
But is there a benefit to rotating your shoes, particularly if you’re a runner? In today’s blog, we take a closer look at why it may be a good idea to consider rotating your running shoes if you’re a regular runner or you’re training for an upcoming race.
Rotating Your Running Shoes
You probably don’t want to buy a second pair of running shoes if you can get by just fine with one, but buying a second pair of running shoes could end up saving you money in the long run in terms of injury prevention. According to a study published in Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sport, runners who rotated their running shoes were less likely to suffer a running-related injury.
The study tracked a total of 264 runners over the course of 22 weeks. They found that runners who used more than one shoe for their running workouts had a 39 percent lower risk of injury compared to those who always ran with the same pair of shoes.
But why is this the case? Researchers concluded that if you have different running shoes, each shoe will have different cushioning properties, which will help you vary the impact forces on your lower body as you run. Instead of always channeling stress in a specific pattern because you’re wearing the same running shoe, varying your footwear can lead to small differences in how force is applied to your foot, reducing your likelihood that a specific area will become overloaded with stress or different structures will become imbalanced due to chronic stress forces.
At the most basic level, rotating your running shoes falls into the greater health idea that moderation is key. Whether it is your diet, your exercise regimen or how forces are applied to your feet, ankles and knees, varying your routine can help to prevent issues that can develop when we get too much of one thing and not enough of another. Consuming a variety of vitamins and nutrients is important, working out your upper body and lower body on different days is essential, and varying your running shoe choice can also serve to reduce the likelihood of injuries that develop as a result of the same stress patterns being placed on your lower body.
So if you’re looking to do everything in your power to reduce your likelihood of a running-related injury, consider rotating your running shoes during your exercise routines. This will help to reduce your likelihood of a chronic stress injury, especially when paired with other smart running techniques.
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