Not sure how much of an invention this is, but I drew up and commissioned the design of the first use of “GuideRails’ on running shoes in the Altra Provision & Paradigm Shoes. This was shortly thereafter done by Brooks (who even used the same name), and is still used in Altra and Brooks shoes today.

GuideRails were my way of doing “bumper bowling” for the feet, as a proprioceptive response to staying on track. Essentially, the foot hits a GuideRail and gets feedback that its collapsing too far to one side, and then it adjusts back more toward a neutral plane. This technology came about in response to the vast wealth of published research showing that double density posts and other anti-pronation devices in shoes don’t change pronation.

Of course, less than 2% of the 200+ studies published on pronation and injuries show a significant link between pronation and running injuries. Additionally, studies show that assigning people running shoes based on their pronation level leads to poor outcomes and more injury.