I was looking at the bottoms of my shoes today and noticed some pretty uneven shoe wear between my left and right shoes. The location of the wear is pretty even, but the right shoes shows significantly more wear. Any thoughts on why this would happen?
I couldn’t get the picture to load into the post, but here is the link.
You appear to be a neutral to “supinator” type runner with your left foot remaining in more inversion (more supinated) than the right. The wear is sub 5th met head which doesn’t normally bear much weight, so assuming no structural deformity there (i.e. a tailor’s bunion), this could imply a limb length discrepancy (left side longer/right side shorter) that is usually functional and not structural. Usually, the shorter side will “pronate” more to functionally lengthen since that motion is easier though. Ankle instability (i.e. from frequent sprains) can also cause this wear pattern. Running on severely crowned roads regularly can cause uneven wear as well.
Amazing… I have been told I run very neutral by Road Runners gait analysis and I generally tend to run on crowned roads (only good routes near my house) and have a lot of ankle instability.
Would you have any concern with sub 5th met head wear? My foot doctor and chiro have never mentioned any limb length issues and my chiro is very big on ensuring structural balance.
Do you get any blisters, between the toes, on your left foot?
No, I wouldn’t be too worried about it at all. Good to notice, but if nothing hurting, don’t let it change anything. Sub 5th met issues are uncommon and mild even if present.
My only concern would be the *possibility *of an increased likelihood of peroneal tendon issues. This IS common and huge PITA to recover from - but don’t read too much into it.
None regular blisters… If I run too hard in shoes without socks, I end up with some small blisters behind the ball of my foot but I think it is more of a shoe issue…
As for peroneal tendon issues, I have had some minor tenderness with the one in my left foot but it has always been after rolling my ankle off a curb, which has happened a few times in the last year. My podiatrist didn’t think it was an issue and just wants me to monitor it.
I started to go down that track. I am guessing you are (you might say obviously) landing with your foot rolled out to soften the landing. Takes some time and concentration, but you can even things up. I asked about the blisters because I notice that if I don’t watch what I’m doing I tend to roll my foot out a bit as I push off, which causes a blister on the inside of my big toe, but with a little concentration I can avoid it.