Risks of Wearing the Wrong Shoes for Running

You throw on a pair of sneakers and head out the door for your daily run. Did you know that those shoes may be causing serious injury to not only your feet, but also your hips, knees, and back? Running is a great way for you to stay healthy, but the wrong shoes could be causing you more harm than good.

Some common injuries caused by wearing the wrong pair of shoes for running are:

1. Corns
Corns form when there is friction and pressure from wearing shoes that are too tight or are not shaped appropriately to your foot. The skin raises and creates a rough barrier that can become inflamed and painful.

2. Hammertoe
Sometimes people are genetically destined to have hammer toes, but for those of us who are wearing the wrong shoes for running, we can experience hammer toes. This is when the muscles become shorter and the first joint of the toe sinks and the toe bon raises. This creates a hard and painful surface on the toe.

3. Bunions
Bunions sounds like such an ugly word and it is! This is where the big toe begins to move inwards towards the second toe. Bunions usually come with inflammation and throbbing pain.

4. Stress Fractures
With stress fractures you will experience mild pain that gradually gets worse and can resonate either in the foot or ankle. This can be caused by too much pressure being placed on foot during strenuous activity from shoes that do not provide proper form support and weight distribution.

5. Plantar Fasciitis
You may feel sharp pain that resonates from your heel and this is a result of shoes that do not have the proper cushioning or arch support.

6. Tendonitis
This is when you experience inflammation and pain in your foot, inside ankles, or the outer edges of the foot. This is caused by shoes that are not tied well enough or those that do not have enough structure to support you when running.

7. Iliotibial Band Syndrome (IT Band Syndrome)
Iliotibial is the tendon that connects the knee and the hip and when inflamed it may cause stabbing in your knee when you run. An improper and unsupportive running shoe can cause this syndrome.

8. Hot Foot
The name kind of gives it away—hot foot is a burning sensation around your toes. Your feet experience a hot sensation that is uncomfortable when your toes are not given enough room to move and wiggle in your shoe.

9. Achilles Tendinitis
Unsupportive shoes can cause swelling and debilitating pain in the back of your lower leg and heel – this is Achilles tendinitis.

Schedule a Consultation Today

The next time you go to throw on those shoes, keep in mind that the wrong pair could put you at risk for serious injury. If you already feel like you are experiencing these issues and are hoping to get some help to get you back on track, then contact Methodist McKinney Hospital’s experts in orthopedics and sports medicine. Click here to view our physician directory.

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