Running is a past time for many, and is even considered a hobby by those who consider it their main form of exercise.

But many runners suffer from a range of injuries and conditions that could easily be solved by wearing shoes that best fit their feet.

The question is: how do you pick the right running shoes?

CQUniversity's Professor Erik Hohmann and Associate Professor Peter Reaburn have teamed up with Professor Andreas Imhoff from the University of Technology in Munich, Germany to find out how much runners really know about their feet, and how it might help in injury prevention.

The study examined the knowledge of perceptions held by individual runners about their foot type.

"Every foot, whether it be flat, regular or high arched, requires a specific shoe. Appropraite running shoes can potentially reduce the incidence of injuries by absorbing ground reaction forces" said CQUniversity's Professor Hohmann.

"In contrast, incorrect footwear may make the recreational athlete more prone to injury".

Previous research has linked conditions such as shin splints, tibia and fibia fractures and plantar fasciits to the relatively simple error of selecting the wrong type of running shoe.

But Hohmann, Reaburn and Imhoff's study has found that this error is not as simple as once thought, and their findings have attracted significant interest in Australia and overseas, including publishing with US magazine Men's Health.

In order to properly match a shoe to their foot type, runners need to have some basic knowledge about their anatomy and be able to identify their own individual arch correctly.

Most runners are unaware of the anatomy of their own unique foot, and often pick shoes that don't necessarily meet their personal needs.

"A number of shoe manufacturers provide online questionnaires and 'tests' to help potential consumers pick the right shoe, but to be 100% sure of what foot type one has, they need to be clinically examined" explains Hohmann.

The study surveyed the arches of 92 experienced, recreational, middle distance runners, both male and female. 

They recorded each runner's personal opinion of what their arch type was and compared this to static footprints and clinical testing, determining their actual arch type and hence how aware they were of their own feet.

48 percent of participants identified their arch correctly, but of the 42.4 percent of participants who said they had flat feet, only 4 were accurate.

In effect, a large number of those surveyed had normal arches, but were wearing footwear for over-pronators, or flat-footed individuals.

Associate Professor Reaburn, a long distance runner and Ironman himself,  says purchasing the right shoe is paramount.

"Runners need to be aware of their exact foot type and ensure they purchase the correct shoe type to match. If in doubt, or in particular if they are injury-prone or planning a lot of running, they should visit a podiatrist for professional advice" he said.

Dr Hohmann says it can be quite easy to be deceived about one's foot type.

"When runners look at their feet, they can be deceived by the shape of their arch by tiny physiological factors such as the way they are standing, body mass and composition and even general movement" says Hohmann

The study says that the clinical definition of a 'normal' foot remains unclear, but that a high or flat arch can be determined.