Are Basketball Shoes Appropriate For Running?
Are Basketball Shoes Appropriate For Running:
The wrong type of shoes for any sport can lead to injury and soreness. Running a few miles for some time in basketball shoes might cause permanent issues. But making a habit of running wearing basketball shoes can affect your form negatively and can slow you down a bit and can cause injury.
Know the difference between basketball and running shoes?
The running shoes and basketball shoes are quite different from one another. For instance, running shoes are designed in a way as to assist with gait and foot movement. On the other hand, basketball shoes are designed for handling the multidirectional movements like sideward movements, jumping and running.
Making the right choice of shoes for running can help you in preventing injuries and can take you a long way.
Running shoes
The running shoes are designed for forwarding movement. Some of the models promote foot stability- for discouraging the heightening and flattening of foot’s arch. The running shoes are light in weight, so one can use minimal effort in lifting the foot during the stride.
When you run, the body withstands a shock which is equivalent to 2.5 times of body weight. The running shoes that have cushioning in both forefoot and heel help in handling. The running shoes are flexible enough and designed for moving with the foot.
Basketball shoes
These basketball shoes are cut high for promoting the stability to ankles during the jumps & quick directional change. The cushioning in these basketball shoes are mid-foot, so the sole’s weight is much lighter, and allows quick maneuvers.
The basketball shoes hold specific features on its outer sole that helps in maintaining the stability and traction on the basketball court.
Running in the basketball shoes
You run around the court certainly wearing the basketball shoes, but the basketball game starts & stops- you don’t spend the concentrated or continuous amount of time running forward. The basketball shoes don’t offer much stability and cushioning for a continuous run which running shoes offer.
The basketball shoes' outer sole is best designed for the optimal traction on asphalt or wood floors, not sidewalks or trails. The high-end cut of the basketball shoes might interface with running form, and heavier quality of shoes might result in slowing down the performance.
These basketball shoes offer stability during the quick movements, but they are not as flexible as the running shoes, which might also affect the gait. If you are having some stride issues as supination or pronation, the basketball shoes might not correct this, which leads to injury.
Considerations
If you often go for a short run to 2 to 4 miles, once or twice a week, you can get away from using these basketball shoes. If you run more often, around 3 or more times in a week to long distances, you must invest in good running shoes.
Even if you run to short distances but experiences shin, hip or knee pain, then you must invest in a good pair of shoes that are best designed for running.
