This past summer I started to run. I wanted to improve my health and figured running would be easy to incorporate into my afterwork routine. So, one day I strapped on my sneakers and off I went. In those first few weeks of running, everything hurt. But the more I ran the stronger I became and the less I hurt. But as weeks turned to months, there was a pain that was just not going away.

My hip ached after every run. After talking to some other runners, I figured the problem was my shoes. I was running in the sneakers I had for years and wore everywhere. I drove to my favorite department store and found a deal on shoes for $30.  After running in those for a while, there was no improvement in my hip. I went back to the store and purchased another pair of running shoes. Still not wanting to invest a lot, I purchased a pair on sale for $60 that looked cute. These shoes didn’t make my hip less painful. I thought maybe I needed to switch shoe brands. I scoured Amazon.com looking for a deal and found a brand I never heard of. But because they had so many great reviews posted, I purchased them on sale for $50. Well, three runs with those shoes and I had to stop running for a week because my hip was worse and now my knees were hurting. I went back to the second pair of shoes and figured this was what running felt like.

My husband suggested going to an actual shoe store and talking to someone who knew about shoes and running. I told him I did talk to someone at the store I went to. Frustrated, my husband replied “Kristin, just because a person works in the shoe department of a store doesn’t mean they are an expert in running shoes.” We ended up going to Appalachian Running Company in Altoona together.

There, someone who knew about shoes and running helped us. I talked to him about my hip, and he asked me questions about my current shoes and my running. He assessed my posture and put me on a machine that evaluated how I distribute my weight on my feet. He also studied my legs and feet while I walked before he brought out some shoes he felt would benefit me. After narrowing the selection to the Brooks Ghost 14 shoe, I ran on the treadmill they had available so I could try them out. I noticed a difference in my running immediately. I was a little nervous about the price, but my husband said something that made me go ahead with the purchase; “You can’t just buy a shoe because it’s labeled a running shoe. You must invest in something that is going to help and work for you. This guy knows what he’s talking about and this is the shoe that he is recommending.

Because I invested in a shoe that helps and works for me, my hip doesn’t hurt anymore! Since I no longer hurt after running, I am running more often and am finally starting to enjoy it. Of course my husband has taken the credit because, as he puts it “Who’s the one who pushed you to go to somewhere where they actually know about running!”

My experience at Appalachian Running Company made me think of some of the people we have seen here at Lemme Audiology. Many times, we have patients who come to us after they have purchased hearing aids from a big box store, a salesman or even on a website because of the price. They come to us because those hearing aids have not benefitted them.  Here at Lemme Audiology, these patients have greatly benefited from the extensive testing we perform and in depth conversations we have with them before we make a recommendation on a prescription hearing aid.

Like my husband said “You can’t just buy a shoe because it’s labeled a running shoe. You must invest in something that is going to help and work for you.” The same thing applies to your hearing health. Just like me with my shoes, our patients are amazed at the difference a visit with an expert can make and the benefits of investing into something that is going to work with and for them.

Our Audiologists have extensive education and experience in the science of hearing, balance, and other related disorders. When we make a recommendation for a hearing aid, we feel it is something that is going to provide you with the most benefit for your particular type and severity of hearing loss.

So, don’t trust your hearing health care, or running shoes, to just anyone. Lemme Audiology in Altoona and Ebensburg is always available for your hearing health care by calling (814) 941-7770. And Appalachian Running Company is always available to you for your running needs by calling (814) 941-2131.

 

Kristin Seiler – Practice Representative

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