Let’s Walk Through a Few Footwear Terms
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A few walking-shoe terms worth knowing (even if you’re not a shoe geek).
Cushioning-related
* C-EVA: Compression-molded ethyl-vinyl-acetate, a plastic foam; a cushioning material.
* Insole: Often removable, the thin liner on which your foot rests.
* Midsole: The thick cushioning foam under your foot; sometimes it’s with air, gel or other proprietary “stuff” to improve durability or feel.
* Outsole: Material on the bottom that actually makes contact with the ground.
* PU: Polyurethane, a more durable but heavier cushioning foam than C-EVA.
Support-related
* Pronation: The natural inward roll of the foot that occurs on every step. Only a problem if you overpronate--your feet roll in too much--which is evidenced by old walking shoes that lean in at the heels when set side by side on a flat surface. Check yours.
* Dual-density midsole: A midsole with firmer foam under the inside of the heel to slow pronation.
* Medial post: A hard plastic material or much denser foam under the inside of the heel to slow more severe pronation.
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And if you do want to be a shoe geek, here are a few insider tidbits:
* Anterior tibial tendinitis: Called shinsplints, inflammation at the front of the shin, often from walking fast in shoes with too-thick heels, such as running shoes.
* Aglet: The little plastic tip of a shoelace. No kidding.
* Rate of eversion: How fast your foot pronates, or rolls in.
* Stability: What you have with a slow “rate of eversion.”
Copyright 1998 by RD Walking Inc.
