The relationship between the wrong shoes and knee pain while exercising

The knee joint is one of the most complex joints in the human body. While the joint is strong, it is formed around many bones, ligaments and tendons that give it its versatile nature. The knee not only takes the pressure of your whole body during general everyday activities, but during exercise this tensile force can increase to three times the force of your body weight. That’s a big load to take!

The fact most people are unaware of is that our feet play a vital role in the functioning patterns of the knee. There are three types of gait patterning with the feet – pronation (flat foot), neutral or supination (rolling out).

Without the right shoe for your foot type, this incorrect arch patterning can transfer into the knee, changing the patterning of the joint and can cause an increase in the ware and tear of the joint. It is also one of the most common causes of knee pain while exercising.

If you are experiencing an increase in knee pain, speak to one of our exercise physiologists and they can assess this for you, or alternatively visit your local podiatrist or shoe fitting specialist to be fitted into the right shoe for you!