CALGARY, ALBERTA (September 18, 2009)  If you have been on the lookout for a good pair of running shoes over the past few years, you probably noticed that finding the right one is more complicated than it used to be. Display walls often
show more than a hundred shoe choices with a huge variety of cushioning and support options. What's even more concerning is that if a runner chooses the wrong one, the consequence could potentially be a full-on injury.

"A significant amount of research has gone into developing running shoe technology. Unfortunately, the side effect is that there are just too many options available that runners don't know where to start," says Nolan Tudor, the manager of The Tech Shop on 4th Street, Calgary, Alberta. "We as retailers not only have to understand the various shoe technologies available, but we also have to accurately assess each runners foot and running stride to know what technologies will work for them"

This is why the Tech Shop has decided to implement a Video Gait Analysis program out of their 4th Street location. Using high speed cameras and specialized software they can accurately assess how a foot moves during running so that they can determine what shoe would work best for a runner.

"In offering this service for free to our customers we hope to make a difference in reducing injuries and increasing comfort," says Tudor.

Robert Sunderland, a Calgary Pedorthist and owner of Professional Foot Orthotics Inc., can testify to the advantages of using slow motion video for analyzing movement of the foot. He has been using advanced video equipment for a few years now and has found it to be valuable for patient assessments. "With 26 bones, and numerous muscles, tendons, and ligaments, the foot is an extremely complex structure in how it moves. When I can analyze this movement one frame at a time on a big screen I am better able to determine the factors contributing to chronic foot pain or foot dysfunction, which can also cause other injuries throughout the body."

Video gait analysis has already become standard practice for running shoe retailers in the United States and in many European countries, but is only just reaching Canadian stores now.

"The benefits of video gait analysis for shoe fitting has become internationally recognized. In fact, one of our largest clients is the US military who have established video gait analysis programs out of many of their bases," says Amy Barnett, Vice president for Sports Motion Inc, an international supplier of movement analysis equipment and software. "What they are finding is that in simply out-fitting their soldiers with proper running shoes, using this technology to help, they are seeing a significant decrease in running related injuries during training." This nationwide military program, called the Tele-shoe program, is currently being lead by biomechanics specialists out of the pentagon.

The official launch of The Tech Shop's video gait analysis program will take place on September 21st with a large grand opening event. This free program will be the first of its kind offered by a running shoe retailer in Calgary.