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After an accident that displaced her hip, Wendi Morin, gait analyst at Gear West, went on to pursue a life-long journey to quell injury through footwear.
At the edge of Long Lake, MN, the “Shoe Whisperer” Wendi Morin (pictured above, left) works as a gait analyst at independent sports retailer Gear West. Morin’s almost mystic title isn’t self-proclaimed but rather bestowed on her by clients. She has the uncanny ability to assess what exact shoe is right for any consumer — a selection that has an astronomic effect on injury and strength throughout the whole body.
Morin was born and raised only half an hour from Gear West, in Coon Rapids, MN. The eldest of five, she and her siblings grew up playing sports — a pastime passed down by their athlete father. Running became a central focus, and at 18 years of age Morin ran her first marathon.
This passion shaped Morin’s decision to become a physical therapist, but while pursuing an associated degree her life and body changed forever.
While working in the lab, Morin’s project partner accidentally pulled a sheet out from under Morin’s feet, sending her crashing to the floor. Her hip bone was pushed into the joint, displacing her entire hip upward. For the next 17 years, Morin had severe nerve pain in her back and down both legs. “I always believed that it wasn’t the natural state of the body to be in pain,” she told SGB.
Every day Morin spent time thinking about what could get her out of pain. “I was depressed and suicidal,” she said. “I couldn’t extend my legs in front of my body. So I tried everything: chiropractic, osteopath, injections for swelling and pain, nerve tests, hanging upside down to pull the hip out, stretches, strengthening … nothing worked.”
During these years, Morin became a competitive runner and went back to school, earning a degree in health and human performance. Morin then experienced a motorcycle accident that dislocated her hip again … and it actually helped pull it back down. Morin shifted focus to learning about how to be pain free in her “new” body.
“I was doing gait analysis, which I had done throughout schooling and life, and was succeeding in getting people out of pain. Something changed, and I started looking at myself how I did my clients. It really came down to the right or wrong shoe.”
Today Morin is pain free and in pursuit of her goal to run a marathon in every state (she’s completed 30 in 26 states thus far). Her expertise draws consumers from around the world to Gear West for one-on-one analysis.
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Morin at Gear West
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Maine Marathon 2015
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SGB: What’s the biggest footwear misconception that ends up causing pain?
Morin: 80 to 90 percent of the time, the problem isn’t where the pain is. You might have a hip problem, but it’s coming from your foot, up your knee and going as far as your back and shoulders. People learn they pronate and they just think, “oh, I pronate.” A stable shoe sounds really good to them, but that will only help if the pronation is coming from ankle alignment. Stable shoes correct the ankle not the arch.
SGB: Do most consumers gravitate to more stable shoes?
Morin: Yes, 99.9 percent are in something too stable. It’s something that surprises everyone when I teach sessions. The most injured category is people who overcorrect with more stability, rather than those who undercorrect. That’s because being over-stable pushes you to the outside of the foot, making the impact go up the bones and joints, jarring up your shins and hips, instead of the muscles. Think about the outside of the foot: there’s no arch; it’s all bone.
SGB: Do orthotics contribute to the problem?
Morin: A lot of people have been in orthotics for so long, but it’s making a two-inch difference in their hips that causes pain. Part of what I do is give people hope and teach them how to trust their body more. We have always worn shoes, but we have to evolve our feet and teach the muscles how to work instead of shut down. As you get stronger and healthier, you need a flexible, lighter-weight shoe.
SGB: What are the top four shoe brands you recommend?
Morin: Brooks, Asics, Nike and Saucony. They all have products representing the spectrum of more to less stable, so it’s about getting the right shoe for your body right now, then re-evaluating a couple months down the road and seeing which shoe is right then.
SGB: Do these brands differ a lot?
Morin: Brooks and Asics are generally more flexible throughout, and even from front to back. Nike and Saucony lend a firmer heel that might stabilize the knee more. But when someone doesn’t need that stability, it can hurt them. And just because you need it at some point doesn’t mean you need it forever. Your quads get stronger, then it’s time for a new model.
SGB: What’s your biggest disappointment with shoe brands on the market today?
Morin: A lot of companies and people think (I used to think, too) that if you supinate you need a curved shoe, and if you pronate you need straight. In my work, I saw some really big supinators that needed straight lasts, and that was completely different from what was being done. Brands don’t speak to the three lasts (curve, semi-curve and straight). Only one of those three will meet the muscle balance of your legs.
SGB: How do you determine last?
Morin: I spent years testing groups (college basketball players, children, etc.) to figure out that if you have a muscle imbalance, you need either a curve or straight. It doesn’t have to do with supinate or pronate; it has to do with muscle balance between the two legs. People who run or bike tend to need curve or straight, while sports players or kids who more forward, back and side-to-side are balanced and need semi-curve.
SGB: What has kept you interested in gait analysis for so long?
Morin: I see people from different states and countries, all desperate to stop the pain and do what they love. I know that pain. When I can line them up and make them stronger in their sport, it’s personal.
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