"People don’t think about their feet unless they’re killing them," acknowledges Kyle Roberts, owner of Footworks Orthotics and a certified pedorthist. A few definitions here — a podiatrist or medical doctor focuses specifically on diseases or injuries to the feet. A pedorthist employs the tools of biomechanics and gait analysis to achieve comfort for his or her patients. As a pedorthist, Roberts makes orthotics out of a material called ethyl vinyl acetate (also known as E.V.A.) that improve or even relieve problems related to the feet and lower legs. Custommade to the client’s foot, orthotics help correct structural or walking problems that can lead to shin splints, plantar fasciltis, or Achilles tendonitis.

Runners who subject the foot to constant pounding increase the likelihood that a biomechanical problem such as a foot that rolls to the inside (pronates) or to the outside (supinates) upon contact with the ground will cause pain in the ankle, lower leg or knee. To determine which way your foot rolls, look at your shoes, says Katherine Derr, assistant athletic trainer at Concordia University Wisconsin in Mequon. "You’ll notice a wear pattern on the bottom." The shoes will either show significant wear along the outside of the sole or along the inside. Correct the cause of that wear with a semi-rigid device that slips into your shoe and you’ll reduce, if not totally eliminate, the pain.

Custom-made orthotics cost about the price of a couple of pairs of good running shoes. Not a bad investment if it extends your running career for more pain-free years. For young and/or amateur athletes, orthotics can make the difference between continuing the sport or giving it up.