Those standard trainer socks will not get the job done when it comes to running. If you are looking for Running Socks With Arch Support For Women, you’ll need a more specialised sock.
Most running socks will offer additional padding in crucial areas of the foot that receive the most impact when running; around the toes, heels and arch. Running socks, unlike standard socks, will often have right and left symbols on each sock.
To a varying degree, most high-quality running socks will have a certain amount of padding and cushioning in critical areas. However, not all socks are made equal, with some brands and models specifically made for runners with high arches.
Running Socks With Arch Support Guide
In this guide, we’ve reviewed and tested a range of socks using feedback from our running community. We can now come up with a list of the best running socks featuring arch support for women. We’ve included our top 3 picks below, along with the key feature of each pair. Further down, we have a comparison table with 9 other running socks with arch support.
Overall Best Running Socks With Arch Support For Women
Best Premium Running Socks With Arch Support For Women
Best Value Running Socks With Arch Support For Women
Other Running Socks We Recommend
In the table below, you’ll find the top 3 pick we featured earlier and some more socks that we would recommend if you have high arches and need extra support. You might also be interested in taking a look at our guide to Running Socks For Plantar fasciitis and our buyers guide to Running Shoes For Peroneal Tendonitis.
What Are High Arches?
High arches are when your foot’s arch is very pronounced and can’t touch the ground when you stand on both feet in a normal position. High arches put added pressure on the ball and heel of your foot.
Go and take a wet footprint test; you’ll see how this happens. To do this, get your feet wet in the shower or bath, then go and stand on a piece of cardboard. If the impression leaves only marking your heel and ball of the foot, you have high or very high arches. Many people are born with that foot shape, while with others, it develops over time.
The two leading causes of high arches are:
- High arches tend to run in families – genetic
- High arches caused by nerve and muscular disorders – running injuries or environment
Most people that have high arches were born with them. If you developed high arch feet later in life, or only in one arch, see your doctor. Runners might not have been born with high arches. However, it could have developed over time through a poor running form or a previous injury.
Runners with high arches don’t get much natural shock absorption in the foot, and the ground forces will once again travel farther up the leg looking for a place to be absorbed.
How High Arches Affects Running
If you have high arches, you will face some challenges with your gait and running style. Overpronation and flat feet indeed get a lot of coverage these days, but tall, rigid arches pose their own set of problems.
When running, a natural footstrike should see the impact falling more toward the outside of the foot, making the foot turn inward while absorbing the landing’s shock. This motion involves every joint from the hips down. When runners have high arches, the foot strike is modified, leading to problematic load distribution and potential injuries.
What Challenges Will Runners With High Arches Faces
Previous Injury Effects: If a runner has suffered a foot injury or had foot surgery, they may subconsciously alter how they run. If the heel is painful (through plantar fasciitis) or the big toe is painful (from surgery), a runner may modify their gait to avoid pressure on the areas. The result is a gait that simulates a high rigid arch. Physiotherapy may change the learned gait when a runner has naturally soft arches and see positive results.
Naturally Rigid High Arches: Some people will have naturally high arches, and there isn’t a great deal you can do to permanently change that. Surgery and treatments can be doe to gain some flexibility, although results will vary. When you have naturally rigid arches, your body (ankles, knees, hips) will adjust to accept the lack of foot turn. There is a greater chance of injury with runners who have naturally rigid arches.
Restricted Movement & Tightness: If a runner exclusively uses motion-control shoes, limited mobility can lead to tightness in the foot. Foot tightness can lead to artificially high arches over time. Unlike naturally rigid arches, this can be fixed with more appropriate running shoes, socks, and insoles. You can also do specific exercises that improve foot flexibility and pronation.
Common Injuries Runners With High Arches Get
If you have abnormally high arches, your body weight is not equally distributed across the foot. As a result, the excess weight gets placed on the ball and heel of the foot, which can cause extreme pain. Runners with high arches might also be susceptible to other injuries too.
In general, high-arched runners tend to get bone-related injuries like shin splints and stress fractures in the shin and foot. It could also lead to plantar fasciitis, caused by biomechanical issues, including flat feet with high arches or excessive pronation.
A high arch foot type can also lead to the following problems:
- Hammer Toes & Claw Toes: Deformities in the toes
- Achilles Tendonitis: This is the overloading of the tendon that is attached to the back of the heel
- Sesamoiditis and Sesamoid Fractures: Bone pain at the base of the big toe
- Ankle Instability: This can lead to ankle sprains or ligament strains.
Our recommendations are not medical advice. We urge you to visit a medical expert if your problem or injuries persist – please see this NHS article for more information on high arches.
Other Running Sock Guides
Disclaimer: This guide contains affiliate links, and I earn a small commission from any sale that occurs via my links. This, however, does not change my opinion; I always do my best to provide the facts and suggest products that will benefit my users. You pay no more and no less for using these links. It does, however, help to sustain my blog.
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