One of the most vital factors in preventing any running injury can be found in the selection of running shoes.
When selecting a running shoe, it is important to know what kind of foot you have. There are three different kinds of feet: 'neutral', 'supinate', and 'pronate'. Each type of foot requires a different type of running shoe. In order to insure that you have the right type of shoe for your foot, be sure to visit a specialist running shoe store which have personnel who will determine your foot type and have you try on shoes that correspond to your feet.
In general, a pronate runner's feet roll inwards when they run, while a supinator runner's feet roll out when they run. Neutral feet are just about in the middle of these two extremes.
Neutral shoes are usually well cushioned to absorb shock but don't have any special features to correct motion of the foot because neutral feet have about normal movement.
Motion control shoes have extra support on the inside to help prevent feet from pronating.
Furthermore, a runner that supinates should wear a neutral shoe with good cushioning to prevent the foot from rolling out, while the pronating runner needs a motion control shoe.
Also, some severely pronate runners need to wear orthodics in their shoes (worn in neutral shoes) to provide enough support to keep their feet from rolling. Orthodics are inserts for shoes that are made from a mold of ones' actual foot.
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