Specialty running stores serve as an important resource for sports medicine professionals. These stores, by the nature of the fitting processes they employ with customers, can provide reliable guidance in the key area of footwear selection for the patients of sports medicine professionals.

Over 1000 specialty running stores exist throughout the country, and the Running Industry Association (formerly the Independent Running Retailers Association, or IRRA) is the guiding body for the majority of them. Founded in the early 2000s, the Running Industry Association’s (RIA) mission is to help specialty running stores cultivate excellence in (1) store education, (2) communication, (3) research, and (4) advocacy. This is important for sports medicine professionals because matching patients with footwear that is appropriate for both their biomechanics and their medical issues can have significant effects on the efficacy of their treatments once they are outside the medical setting, and no other retail channel or source is more educated or better equipped to provide that guidance to patients.