Neutral
running shoes are designed to meet the needs of runners whose feet neither
over-pronate nor under-pronate. Pronation is when the arches of a runner’s
feel flatten out as they hit the ground. They do this to absorb the
impact.
If your feet pronate too much, added stress is being placed on stabilizing
muscles in your outer shin area. If they pronate too little, muscles
may be overworked as they try to prevent your foot from rolling. Different
shoes are designed to correct either of these situations. However, most
runners’ feet do neither so neutral running shoes are their best
option.
Neutral running shoes are not intended to balance out or correct an
issue with how one’s feet hit the pavement. As a result, many
of their features are designed to simply work at moderate levels of
function, such as the cushioning. Straight or semi-curved lasts also
provide just the right level of stability. Other aspects of neutral
running shoes are created to be complementary, or to balance each other
out. Durable outer soles being paired softer forefronts are an example
of this.