I previously posted a review on Altra Instinct and was contacted by AltraZeroDrop as follows:
“Interesting review. A couple of things as I consider what is being said here. First, The Instinct is a neutral shoe and is sold as such. The Brooks Adrenaline is a motion control shoe. To compare the two with a pronator is not a fair comparison. To look at an Altra shoe that offers some pronation support please check out The Provision. This runner obviously needs some medial support and thus The Instinct may not be the best option right off the bat. As they strengthen their feet over time maybe.”
My reviews are based on the shoes that runners wear in, and the Instinct is the only shoe I’ve seen from Altra. In this runner’s case, he purchased the Instinct based on it’s “wider,” more supportive appearance, only to develop forefoot pain.
Altra’s website promotes Altra zero-drop footwear as “reducing forefoot pain, excessive pronation, IT Band pain, runners knee and shin-splints.” These claims are made independent of Altra model or style, but are instead specific to the zero-drop platform. So, based on these general design claims, this particular shoe should have worked for this particular runner.
My primary goal for doing shoe reviews is to reduce injury by educating runners about their foot type and alignment, and teaching them how to apply this to their shoe purchases. I agree that runners need to match their foot type (pronated, wide, etc.) to their shoes and I’m pleased that Altra offers a stability model.
I have asked Altra to send me a pair for review. I’ll keep you posted.
Dr. Jenny Sanders Shoe Blog 
Great point of view Dr. Jenny….I appreciate the clarity.
How can you call this review unbiased? You are comparing a motion control shoe to a neutral running shoe. You mention the Instinct doesn’t work for wide feet, well it is designed for D width feet.
I can say “unbiased” as I receive no compensation (free shoes, publicity, honorarium etc.) from the companies whose shoes I review. Unlike yourself, who is on staff for Altra.
My issue with the Instinct wasn’t that it was a neutral shoe, but rather the misleading information I felt your website promoted that this was an anti-pronation shoe which it is not. Your website did also not make mention of this shoe being incompatible with a wide foot — also, which it is not.
As I said in my post, my goal is to help runners work their way through the marketing hype of running shoe companies and help them select shoes based on their needs. If someone is running in Altra and they are having no issues, I would recommend “if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it”. If however, someone is running in Altra and they are having problems, then my review may help to explain why.
Extraordinary blog! Could you evaluate the running shoes, New Balance 860 and Mizuno Elixir 6? Thanks.