Either for walking or running, shoes are an integral part of your attire. They remain in contact with your feet most of the time.
Before choosing the best running shoes for plantar fasciitis, you need to check whether you have high arch or flat foot.
In case of a flat foot, you require a running shoe with horizontal last and a harder arch support. On the other hand, for high arch, your running shoes must have curved or semi-curved last.
It is important to understand both these conditions in detail.
High Arch
When the cause behind your plantar fasciitis pain is high arch (commonly referred to as calcaneal varus or inward angled heel) you primarily feel a pull in your plantar fascia.
So, you need to search the best running shoes for plantar fasciitis with the best arch support and maximum cushioning.
When you go out for shopping for such shoes, you must consider the rear end of the shoes. They will have a curved or semi curved last with thicker foaming in the heel counter.
Additional cushioning foam in the arch area like the spenco arch is also a very effective solution in relieving plantar fasciitis pain.
Flat foot
Individuals are said to be flat footed when the tissues of plantar fascia in their feet are unable to provide support to the arches thus making the feet look flat.
You would want a straight shoe in which the bottom is in a continuous shape. You basically need shoes that offer motion control and stability.
You can customize your shoe for greater arch support or buy an orthotic for additional support although many shoes with rigid arch support are already available in the market.
Before moving on, I would also like to stress at the point that pads and gel insoles may not be right for your condition. They fail to provide adequate support as compared to some of the best shoes designed with maximum cushioning and support.
The reason why I don’t have a preference for these insoles is that they do not remain fixed inside the shoes and thus do not provide proper fitting. In some cases these insoles might even have a tendency of damaging your plantar fasciitis even further.
Running shoes for Plantar Fasciitis according to Specific Conditions
There are 3 common conditions:
- Flat feet and Over pronation
When deciding for shoes for plantar fasciitis due to flat feet and over-pronation we suggest that you buy shoes with abundant arch support, greater cushioning in the heel counter and sturdy inner of the shoe sole.
- High Arches and Supination
When the reason behind your plantar fasciitis is high arches and supination, then you require shoes with firm arch support and greater shock absorption.
- Over-weight and Over-worked Plantar Fascia
If you weight is the issue that you hunt for shoes with highest amount of cushioning so that you enjoy a comfortable time while wearing those shows.
Best Running shoes for Plantar Fasciitis that Eliminate the Reason behind it
In our previous discussion the shoes were listed in order of the level of ease and cushioning they provided to your plantar fascia pain. They, however, did not eliminate the root cause behind your pain.
Consider the case where you have high arches and you wear shoes for them. In this case you are not actually treating your high arches; rather you are just relieving your feet from any further pain.
In order to get rid of plantar fasciitis you should understand and find out the basis of your problem so that you can come up with proper treatment.
You must remember that every individual suffers from a unique kind of plantar fasciitis, depending upon their condition, the treatment thus varies accordingly.
Surprisingly, plantar fasciitis is almost non-existent in developing countries where poor people are forced to walk barefoot and their physical activity is way too much than their counterparts.
As mentioned above, there can be many reasons behind your plantar fasciitis pain, one of which is the weak feet and calves muscles.
A good way of reducing plantar fasciitis pain in this case is to try walking barefoot and undergoing similar exercises. Wearing minimalist shoes is also a good option.
These shoes are near to being barefoot giving you the advantages of barefoot walking yet keeping your feet protected to some extent.
These shoes are fairly flexible with their flexible soles, minimal padding and almost non-existent heel-to-toe drop. These shoes provide a really good solution to your problem.
A word of caution here – these shoes are not the solution for every plantar fasciitis condition and if at any time you start to feel any kind of pain you can go back to wearing your old shoes.
People with flat-feet, over-pronation and over-weight benefit the most from these minimalist shoes. We could recommend 2 of the best minimalist shoes in town.
Vibram Five-Fingers Shoes
As the name suggests, these shoes include a separate section for each finger. They are very flexible and include a bendable sole with a thickness of 2.5 to 4 mm. An upper mesh is added in the shoe for higher ventilation.
There is a chance that shifting from your normal shoes to these will be a bad experience initially, but later on you will get used to it. These are highly comfortable shoes with enough space.
Without any doubt, Vibram five-finger has a different appearance and feel, yet it is one of those only shoes that provide support to your muscles and give you a walking experience as close to being barefoot.
Inov-8 Bare-XF
Similar to other minimalistic shoes, Inov-8 provides almost the similar benefits. Luckily, it comes in a variety of colors and is a stylish looking shoe.
It additionally features a wider toe area so that your toes have a more natural feel while wearing these shoes.
In the last part of our discussion, we would like to list some of the best running shoes for Plantar Fasciitis according to the gender.
Best Running Shoes for Plantar Fasciitis consistent with your Condition
All the shoes listed below are according to your condition i.e. plantar fasciitis due to flat-foot, over-pronation, high-arches or excessive weight.
For the convenience of our readers, we have formed groups of some of the best running shoes for plantar fasciitis and we have divided them in line with the cause behind your problem.
Kindly, all those who have plantar fasciitis due to flat-feet or over-pronation, visit table-1
All our reader suffering from plantar fasciitis with high arches and supination, visit table-2
Finally, ones with excessive weight or tight tendons, should go to table-3
Best Running Shoes for those coping with Plantar Fasciitis due to Flat-feet and Over-Pronation
As previously emphasized, you should get shoes with greater arch support, motion control capability, higher cushioning and sturdy inner shoe sole if you have flat-feet.
Please take a look at the table we have formulated below in order to locate the best one for you. Our shoes are most suitable for low-arches, individuals with bunions and diabetes. These shoes have varying amount of cushioning inside them so you have a lot to choose from.
Best Running Shoes for those coping with Plantar Fasciitis due to High Arches and Supination
If you have high arches and your foot roles outward while walking or running, you require shoes with higher motion control and arch support.
Shoes mentioned above are also suitable for you. But our table includes those with the given conditions. Choosing any one from the following would be a better choice.
Best Running Shoes for those coping with Plantar Fasciitis due to Over-weight and Over-worked Plantar Fascia
These shoes have greater cushioning and support. These shoes are sure to give you a better feel and relief in pain.
From our analysis, we consider that the best running shoes for plantar fasciitis because of any condition are manufactured by ASICS. Especially, the ASICS Gel Series running shoes are top-class. They have received thousands of 5 star reviews and recommendations from their clients.