Guide Rails: new running support technology from Brooks

New Guide Rails from Brooks

New running support technology

Brooks pride themselves in taking an innovative approach to designing running shoes. They’re not afraid to push the boundaries with their new technologies.

40 years ago, they introduced the varus wedge and soft support system – ways of supporting the foot that have since become standard in the sports’ industry.

In 2011, after looking at the stride patterns of hundreds of different runners, they came up with Run Signature – the idea that everyone has their own individual way of running that is right for their body. This led them to develop a new way of looking at injury prevention that focuses on the whole body, rather than just the foot.

Reducing injury

Over the last 40 years injury rates in runners have not changed – 50% of runners report an injury experience. Of these injuries 50% are at the knee and 50% will repeat the same injury. So they decided to look closely at what’s happening with the knee.

During their research, Brooks identified a relationship between pronation (foot rolling inwards) and Tibial Internal Rotation (TIR). Injured runners had more TIR than non-injured runners. Simply put, it’s the twisting of the knee that leads to injury.

And so Guide Rails 2.0 were born.

Believing that there is no right way to run, only your way, Brooks developed Guiderail technology that gives you the support you need to run in your own natural way. These Guiderails kick in only when you need them – when your body starts to stray from PJMP (preferred joint movement path).

The Guiderail on the inside stabilises the foot from the heel bone, preventing the arch from collapsing too far inwards and the Guiderail on the outside reduces outwards rotation of the heel which causes the knee to twist. Thus they work together to keep the body moving along its natural line.

Brooks have such faith in this new technology that they’ve introduced it in all of their support shoes for Spring / Summer 2019.