Parts of all running shoes are made by hand and are subject to manufacturers defects. According to the manufacturers themselves, about three percent of all new running shoes are defective. I’ve had a few pairs of defective shoes myself, and nothing is more frustrating than being injured by a poorly-made shoe.

If you want to recover and prevent further injury,you have to check new shoes for any type of defect that makes them unstable, unbalanced, or otherwise affects the way they function [see handout below]. A shoe with an uneven lining can unbalance you and cause a running injury. A shoe that isn’t level, or has air or gel pockets that havecollapsed, can cause a running injury. A shoe that falls apart because it hasn’t been glued together properly can cause a running injury.

Shoes that rock, intentionally or unintentionally, also cause injuries. A shoe that rocks side-to side is defective. Some shoes are designed to rock front-to-back. I personally consider any shoe that rocks to be unstable and therefore defective. Don’t be one of the three percent of injured runners who buy defective running shoes. Remember to check for manufacturers’ defects every time you buy a new pair of shoes.

The Running Injury Recovery Program will teach you about post injury training, running injury recovery and running shoe selection.

[caption id="attachment_1840" align="aligncenter" width="150"] Handout on how inspect your running shoes for manufacturer's defects[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1843" align="aligncenter" width="150"] More information on how to inspect your running shoes for manufacturer's defects[/caption]

This post is written by Bruce Wilk, author of the The Running Injury Recovery Program. Bruce is also a board certified physical therapist and the director of Orthopedic Rehabilitation Specialists, a private physical therapy practice located in Miami, FL, and the president of The Runner’s High, a specialty running store also located in Miami. He is also the RCAA certified head coach of the Miami Runners Club, and has completed multiple road races himself, including 26 full marathons and four Ironman races. For more information, please visit postinjuryrunning.com, and to purchase the Running Injury Recovery Program, please visit goneforarun.com