Monthly Archives: September 2012

Shoe Review – Altra Instinct™

Posted on September 27, 2012 | Leave a comment

I have had several runners in my office asking me to evaluate to evaluate their Altra™ running shoes. As much as I want to recommend this shoe, I just can’t. There are too many runners for whom the fit and structure of this shoe is incompatible, as the following video shows.

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Shoe Review – Adidas Supernova Sequence 4

Posted on September 26, 2012 | Leave a comment

Adidas Supernova Sequence 4 is essentially the same as version 3 — with features like a firm heel counter, inflexible forefoot and non-hourglass midsole/outsole that remain the same.

Good for the rectangle shaped foot, that doesn’t pronate excessively and is not too deep as the following field review video shows.

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Shoe Review – Asics Gel Trabuco Trail 14

Posted on September 24, 2012 | 1 comment

One of my favorite trail running shoes for the high volume foot as the following field review video shows.

Although the Gel Trabuco is only available in a medium width, it runs wider and deeper than many other brands of trail shoes. In addition to more volume, Gel Trabuco 14 also provides a lot of support, which is important for running on irregular trail terrain.

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Posted in Field Review, Orthotic Friendly Shoes, Shoe Review, Sport Specific Shoes

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Shoe Review – Asics Gel Noosa Tri 7

Posted on September 20, 2012 | Leave a comment

Asics  Gel Noosa Tri 7 is a racing flat that features a non-collapsible heel counter, an inflexible forefoot, and torsional stability. Although these features are not typically found in racing flats, they can really make a difference for the midfoot and forefoot striker.

The only issue with this shoe is the shape (last) is more C-shaped than rectangular. The last shape — coupled with a waist that hourglasses in — can cause excessive pronation in certain foot types, as the following field review video shows.

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Shoe Review – Solomon XR Mission

Posted on September 17, 2012 | Leave a comment

A trail running shoe I like a lot. Features include a wide forefoot, firm heel counter, and torsional stability. Many running shoes that are wider in the forefoot are correspondingly wide in the midfoot and heel, but the Solomon XR Mission is not.

This XR Mission also has a firm, thick midsole,  which helps with shock absorption, as the following field review video shows.

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Posted in Field Review, Shoe Fit, Shoe Review, Sport Specific Shoes

Bump on The Top of Foot – Part 3

Posted on September 15, 2012 | 1 comment

I have previously blogged about top of the foot bumps, Part 1 and Part 2. Prior posts addressed bony prominences (exostosis) causing bumps, but there can also be fluid filled cysts which arise from tendons or joints called ganglions, causing a bump.

Differentiation between the two can be determined by physical examination, x-rays, ultrasound and/or MRI. Typically, ganglions move beneath the skin whereas an exostosis does not. Fortunately, both conditions are benign, but if you have a bump on the top of your foot, you will still want to have it evaluated by a podiatrist.

Treatment for a ganglion include  extracting the cyst fluid contents with a syringe, followed by steroid infiltration or surgical excision.

The following video shows an in-office surgical excision of a ganglion by my colleague, Dr. Anthony Nguyen.

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Minimalist Running Shoe Recommendations

Posted on September 14, 2012 | Leave a comment

Let me first say that I am not a fan of minimalist running for the majority of my patients. Having said that, “just don’t do it” is not an acceptable directive to runners who are going to run in minimalist shoes in spite of what I recommend. Due to this, I have reluctantly learned to evaluate minimalist running shoes. Not surprisingly, the best way to do this utilizes some of the same principles I use when evaluating non-minimalist styles.

First and foremost, does the shoe match the runner’s foot type? Unfortunately, most minimalist shoes only come in medium widths and none are available in narrow widths. This excludes up to 50 percent of the runners who need a narrow or wide width running shoe. Second, does the shoe make the runner’s stride, shock absorption and/or pathology better or, at the very least, not worse?

Armed with the answers to these simple questions, my colleague Samantha Gibson, Bsc(Hon) and I have evaluated over 50 models of minimalist running shoes on hundreds of runners with differing biomechanics, pathologies and foot types. Based on this, we have created a minimalist shoe list to give to patients to use as a guide and educational tool. It’s not a perfect list but at least these shoes have our preliminary seal of approval, which is important, given the constraints we are forced to deal with when recommending minimalist shoes.

Minimalist Shoe List

Once a minimalist shoe has been selected, I will evaluate the patient running barefoot, running in the minimalist shoe and running in an appropriately structured shoe. Based on this analysis, I will recommend whether someone is a candidate to wear minimalist running shoes or not.

Additional blog posts on barefoot and minimalist running are as follows and provide more of my thoughts about minimalist running:

https://drshoereviews.com/2009/12/04/barefoot-running/

http://www.podiatrytoday.com/blogged/why-recommending-barefoot-running-alternative-injured-runners-can-be-reckless-proposition

http://www.podiatrytoday.com/blogged/minimalist-shoes-and-injuries-keys-diagnosis-and-patient-education

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Shoe Review – New Balance 813 Cross Trainer

Posted on September 13, 2012 | 1 comment

New Balance 813 is a lightweight cross training shoe, as the following field review video shows.

I generally recommend a good running shoe for cross training — however, if you do not excessively pronate and need expandable forefoot volume, then this shoe might just work for you. New Balance 813 has minimal “hourglass” in the waist, is torsionally stable and has a firm heel counter which increases overall support.

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Shoe Review – Mizuno Wave Creation 13

Posted on September 12, 2012 | 2 comments

Mizuno Wave Creation 13 is a stable, well-structured shoe as the following field review video shows.

This shoe is torsionally stable, has a firm heel counter and an inflexible forefoot making it a perfect choice for those runners who excessively pronate. The generous use of mesh throughout the forefoot makes this shoe lightweight and forgiving where runners need it most.

The only problem with this shoe is it runs 1/2 size long based on heel-to-ball length with a correspondingly short toe box, so you will want to be careful when evaluating size. Other than that, Wave Creation 13 is a great shoe.

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Posted in Orthotic Friendly Shoes, Shoe Fit, Shoe Review

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Shoe Review – Mizuno Wave Enigma

Posted on September 11, 2012 | Leave a comment

Mizuno Wave Enigma is categorized as a neutral running shoe, but has much more structure than a typical neutral shoe.

Important features include torsional stability and a firm heel counter, both of which help prevent excessive pronation. The forefoot is moderately flexible, but sufficiently cushioned to aid shock absorption. The waist of the Enigma is also wide and doesn’t “hourglass” in, making this one of my favorite Mizuno’s this season, as the following field review shows.

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Shoe Review – Mizuno Wave Inspire 8

Posted on September 10, 2012 | 6 comments

One of my least favorite shoes this season. Although Wave Inspire 8 provides great support and structure, it’s oddly narrow in the forefoot and wide in the rearfoot. This design makes Wave Inspire 8 incompatible with a normal foot type, as the following field research video highlights.

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Shoe Review – Asics Gel Foundation 10 Field Review

Posted on September 7, 2012 | 2 comments

I recently compared Asics Gel Foundation 10 to version 9.

As the following field review of Asics Gel Foundation 10 highlights, this is one of my favorite shoes this season. It’s lightweight, yet structured and although it is no longer offered in narrow — medium and wide widths still provide a great fit.

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Posted in Narrow Feet, Orthotic Friendly Shoes, Shoe Review, Wide Feet

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Shoe Review – Asics GT-2170

Posted on September 6, 2012 | Leave a comment

I previously reviewed Asics GT-2170 and compared it to Asics GT-2160. The following video is a field review of Asics GT-2170, which has changed significantly from Asics GT-2160. Although GT-2170 fits the same volume-wise as GT-2160, structure-wise, it no longer supports the excessively pronated foot.

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Shoe Review – Asics Gel-1170

Posted on September 5, 2012 | Leave a comment

Asics Gel-1170 is a great shoe for those runners having a shallow foot, who need maximum support. Although this shoe is also available in medium and wide widths, it’s most compatible with the narrow foot. It is also a viable replacement for Asics GT-2160, narrow width, as the following field research video shows.

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Shoe Review – Mizuno® Wave Nirvana 8, Part 2

Posted on September 5, 2012 | 2 comments

I’ve previously reviewed Mizuno® Wave Nirvana 8 but wanted to add my recent field review as well. Important note — this version runs approximately 1/2 size smaller than the listed size, so you will want to evaluate length when assessing fit.

I like this shoe, however, it won’t work for every foot type as the following field research shows.

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Shoe Review – Brooks Ravenna 3, Part 2

Posted on September 4, 2012 | 2 comments

I’ve previously reviewed Brooks Ravenna 3 but wanted to add my recent field review. Brooks Ravenna 3 provides a great fit for the rectangular foot. It’s lightweight and cushioned for the neutral runner who doesn’t pronate excessively.

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