Quote Originally Posted by Inconel710 View Post
For those of you having knee issues when you run, I suggest you try a minimalist shoe like Vibram Five Fingers (the original, but no wide sizes), Fila Skeletoes (actually fit my square feet), or New Balance Minimus (pricey, looks like a regular shoe). These pretty much force you to use a barefoot running gait, where you land on the balls of your feet instead of the heel. That allows the arch of your foot, your Achilles tendon, and your calf muscle to act as a shock absorber for your knees. I've been using the Skeletoes for a few months now and I run about 6-7 miles a week. I've also backpacked in them (9 mile roundtrip overnighter).

It takes some time to get used to them, but I've had torn meniscus repaired once and this style of running doesn't cause me the knee pain I used to suffer. It was bad enough, that I pretty much quit running for a couple of years. "Barefoot" running has made it enjoyable again.

Another suggestion - squats and lunges. I do this at my desk while working and they help strengthen the muscles that stabilize the knee. I got that tip out of the Elk Foundation's magazine!
Anyone considering going with a minimalist running shoe should thoroughly research that plan before doing so. A number of runners were over for dinner the other night and the topic of 'barely there' running shoes came up. Although many had adopted the Five Finger shoes early on, all of them have abandoned such shoes and some of the more serious running stores in town will no longer sell anything of that nature due to a larger number of injuries associated with such shoes. What worked for Zola Budd doesn't work for everyone.

Google for the various studies, but here is one to get started with: http://www.runnersworld.com/barefoot...ot-bone-injury