I need to begin my walking routine. I live in the country so need shoes appropriate for gravel roads. I will probably use poles or walking sticks as well as my balance is not te best. Thanks

You need to get shoes that match your gait. People fall into one of three categories. Pronate, neutral or suppinate. There are other terms for these, but it basically means the angle at which your feet make contact with the ground.

The article I linked to will give you info on it. This is relevant to walkers as well as runners. If you don't have the right shoe, even walking will put undo stress on the knees causing pain. This, of course, will lead to abandoning the excercise completely.

How do you find what you are? Every running store I have ever been to will do a gait analysis for free. You can try some shoes on there, but you don't have to buy them. Since you are looking at some "off road" movement, I would then search the internet for a trail shoe for your gait. Zappos is great because they take returns, no problem.

Check them out and good luck with your routine.

Thanks for your blog about appropriate walking shoes and balance. I have done some walking since my surgery, but today I decided to take my grandson to the park, which is in my neighborhood. while walking i stumbled over an uneven area and down I went. From now on I will invest in good walking shoes and take something to walk with until I buy shoes to fit my gait.

Pdxman hit the nail right on the head!

I had an analysis done years ago at the Running Room and found out that I am a significant pronator. As a result, I bough some "motion control" shoes that helped support my foot in the correct neutral position.

This will be particularly important for you because you are walking on gravel, which tends to increase foot slippage and make you work harder to maintain proper balance. If your shoes are well fitted and the right support type for your gait, you will be more steady on your feet and prevent injury and repetitive stress on your ankle, knee and hip joints.

Thank you for the suggestions. The closest type of sports store to me is an Academy (about 60 miles away). Will they be able to do it or will I need to wait until I go the 'big city'?

I live in the country too. I have found that hiking shoes are the best on gravel roads. You don't need big heavy hiking boots, but something that is kinda medium duty. They tend to have stiffer, thicker soles for walking on rocks If your roads are anything like these around here, regular walking or running shoes aren't gonna cut it. If you're light on your feet, you might be able to get by with trail running shoes.

It would probably be best to wait and be fitted at a specialty shop

If you need shoes now and must order online or from a limited local supply get trail running shoes. They have an agressive tread to really keep you stable and a wider base.

I have used trail running shoes for years in all types of climates and they are kind of a "all-purpose" for me. I ran in snow & ice in Alaska, mud in NorCal, beaches in Hawaii, etc.... and one pair of shoes really worked.

Good on ya for getting out and getting your work-out on!

Thank you for the suggestions. The closest type of sports store to me is an Academy (about 60 miles away). Will they be able to do it or will I need to wait until I go the 'big city'?

Do you have any friends who are runners? Or perhaps a gym that has a trainer? They could take a look and give you an assessment, I would think. Better than nothing. Shoot, you could use a camera and have someone take a video of you walking and then moving to a light job. Only need a few seconds. It should be bare-footed without socks and your pant legs rolled up so your ankles can be seen. Call a running store and tell them you are sending them a video file for analysis. Send it to me and I could tell you ... I think you could even do it yourself, if you look at the information I provided on the link above ...

There is only one brand of trail runners I wear - Salomon. They are the best, but as suggested it is a good idea to get a proper fitting. I'm a neutral with medium arch and they work very well for me!

Thanks for all the great advice. I am working in Cinncy this week and took time to go the The Running Spot. Got fixed up with appropriate socks for diabetics and ome great shoes. They are a half size bigger than I would have ordered on line it was what was recommended. Can't wait for the weekend at home and hit my gravel road. I did not buy the trekking pole but will get hubby to fix me up with a walking stick. I do not trust my balance on rocks.

If you want to buy shoes online and not sure of your foot, I did something; it's not fool proof ofcourse but has worked for me everytime. I googled all the foot patterns so I had a picture of the different feet structures. Wet your foot, step on a dark piece of construction paper. it makes your foot pattern then just match it to the picture. I am a normal pronator, so I can do just about any shoe.

For trail shoes I went with Brooks. For Working out in the gym I stay with my Nike Air Max, lite version. I LOVE ZAPPOS!!

OK everyone, it is two months later and surgery done a month ago and I just finished a 2 mile walk in about 45 minutes. Not going to win any trophies at that rate but excellent for me! The local group has a 10K planned for April and I am actually planning on walking it. Of course, it really is not a walk/run but I don't mind coming in last as long as I finish. It is a trail like I walk every day - gravel, up and down hill - and I have a few months to keep at it.

The shoes are working out great!

It is so good to see that everything has worked out for you. Determination. Dedication. That's what it's all about.