If the shoe fits, run with it

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Andrea Posey
  • 1st Special Operations Wing Public Affairs
HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. --  The running clinic here has been offering tips and techniques to help turn Airmen into more efficient runners since 2005.

The clinic can find the proper type of running shoes someone should wear, said Brent Cowen, 1st Special Operations Aerospace Medical Squadron exercise physiologist.

"A lot of people [talk] about having a high, low or no arch, but the arch is a very minimal factor," said Cowen. "It's more how the person hits the ground or how the person runs."

The running clinic also offers classes about running injuries, form and frequency, Cowen said.

"With running, you have up to four times your body weight striking the ground with every stride," he said. "We want Airmen to run more efficiently, where there is less impact through their knees, body, back or feet."

Cowen said he can show Airmen what's happening while they run. He videotapes them running with and without shoes on a treadmill to watch everything from foot placement, knees movement, arm swing, body posture; whether hands are clenched or loose, and stride length.

"Often we've had people come in who have an injury that they've been dealing with, and they're starting to get more pain," he said. "We have been successful in helping to alleviate pain or help people do more with their running form."

Capt. Michael Baker, Air Force Material Command flight test engineer, said he was diagnosed with mild arthritis when he was referred to Cowen.

"[Cowen] took the time to listen to my athletic history, the issues I was having and gave me a really thorough checkup," Baker said. "He checked my range of motion, strength, flexibility and paid particular attention to the type of marathon training I was doing."

Cowen determined that Baker's hamstrings were abnormally tight and causing too much pull on his knee. This caused his knee to track incorrectly and irritated the arthritis.

"I was completely shocked when he handed me a foam roller and said to roll out my hamstrings prior to my runs, and a couple additional times a day," Baker said. "I was very familiar with foam rolling, but never occurred to me to use it prior to a run. Within a matter of days I was able to increase my mileage and within two weeks I was back up to full speed."

The running clinic not only focuses on the proper running form from the body perspective, but also from the shoe's perspective.

There are four major types of running shoes the clinic suggests: the satiability shoe, cushioning shoe, motion-control shoe, and minimalist shoe.

Cowen said the motion-control shoe is a very thick shoe with a built-in orthotic in the shoe. It is very high in the back and tapers down.

The stability shoe is a more traditional type of running shoe and is good for about 80 percent of the population. It is higher in the heels and tapers down the foot, but has more support inside along the arch. This can help if your foot rolls inward or outward, according to Cowen.

Cowen said a neutral or cushioning shoe is for someone who tends to run on the outside of their foot.

The minimalist shoe is designed with a stack height, meaning there is a less heel to toe drop, and it is more streamlined. This is a more natural running form, using the mid-foot or ball of the foot, Cowen said.

By running on the ball of the foot, the arch absorbs the shock and uses it like a trampoline to spring back up, according to Cowen.

"In about 2010, the barefoot craze became more popular," he said. "We started using the motion analysis equipment more and looking at stride length, foot placement and these different things."

For further information about the running clinic or classes, contact Cowen at (850) 884-2945.