Have you ever considered your walking style? Most of us, particularly those who aren’t runners, never consider how our feet pronate and how our gait impacts our bodies. However, if you want to avoid injury and get serious about running, you’ll need to use shoes or orthotics to correct your pronation.
To be clear, every single person pronates. Pronation refers to the natural movement of our feet as they strike the ground while running or walking. Doctors, podiatrists, and physical therapists all recommend neutral pronation, which is when all of our toes land on the ground at the same time and all of our weight is uniformly distributed.
Despite the fact that neutral pronation is ideal, it’s uncommon for someone to be born with it. Overpronation can lead to a range of unpleasant chronic diseases if left unchecked.
Today, we’ll go into overpronation in detail and describe several common treatment methods for pronation correction, including as orthotics and shoe inserts.
Overpronation and its Biomechanics
When the foot touches the ground and rolls inward instead of landing neutrally, this is known as overpronation. Because the outer edge of the heel strikes the ground first, an overpronated foot tends to put much more weight on the big and second toes. This results in an abnormal foot angle, which can lead to instability.
The arch of the foot flattens and spreads out as the heel strikes and the toes descend, putting more strain on the foot’s muscles, tendons, and ligaments. Overpronators have a higher-than-average rate of injury due to this strain and the instability of their foot stance.
How can I tell if I’m overpronating?
Fortunately, you don’t need to be a physical therapist or a podiatrist to figure out if your gait is endangering your health. At home, there are a few different ways to keep an eye on your overpronation.
When walking or jogging, the easiest approach to detect overpronation is to examine a pair of your shoes. Preferably one that you’ve already worn several times. Look at the bottoms of your shoes to see how worn they are. You’re probably an overpronator if the majority of the wear is on the interior edge, around your big toe and the ball of your foot.
If you don’t have any worn shoes on hand, have a friend or loved one take a brief photograph of your lower legs while you’re standing neutrally. Examine the photo closely to determine whether your shin is actually straight from knee to ankle. You may be overpronating if it slants inwards towards the inside of your foot.
What Is Overpronation and How Does It Affect Your Long-Term Health?
Even if you are unaware of your overpronation on a daily basis, it can have major long-term health consequences. Our entire body is affected by our foot and ankle pronation, and the additional strain can spread outwards, producing knee, hip, and back pain.
Overpronation can also lead to the following problems:
sprains of the ankles
shin splints are a type of shin splint that occurs when
Achilles tendinitis is a condition that affects the Achilles tendon.
spurs on the heels
plantar fasciitis is a type of plantar fasciitis that affect
According to one study, jogging with overpronated feet might lead to higher weariness since these inefficient movements place extra load on our muscles, tendons, and ligaments.
Overpronation Treatments
If you experience heel or arch pain on a regular basis, or if you develop other symptoms such as hammertoes, corns, or calluses, you should see a doctor or podiatrist. They can assess the severity of your overpronation and make treatment recommendations.
Stretching
Regularly performing specific stretches can help relieve some of the pressure caused by overpronation. Stretching your calves, shins, and feet on the insides will assist release these muscles and improve your arches. This relieves pain and stiffness while also assisting in the retraining of your feet to walk in a neutral pronation.
Choosing Footwear
Shoes that aid in foot pronation are beneficial instruments for promoting a healthier gait. The best shoes for pronation provide a lot of support and stability while also protecting the foot from ailments caused by pronation. These shoes are commonly referred to as stability shoes in the running community.
For Severe Overpronation, the Best Shoes and Orthotics
You can buy custom orthotics, which are meant to adapt an existing shoe to give tailored support for your feet, in addition to purchasing shoes with stability and support in mind.
It’s possible to correct foot and ankle pronation with shoes, but you’ll probably get greater results if you use an orthotic that’s been custom-made for your foot.
Furthermore, our left and right feet frequently do not pronate in the same way. When you buy a pair of orthotics to aid with overpronation, each one is made to give each foot the exact amount of support it needs.
Here are some of our experts’ recommendations for overpronation-correcting shoes and orthotics.
Orthotics for Sports
The best pronation orthotics are custom-made and provide individualized support where you need it the most. Multiple concerns such as flat arches, overpronation, and bunions can be addressed because they’re made to fit the particular shape of your foot.
Our bespoke sport orthotics can be purchased separately or in combination with a pair of shoes for a totally customized bundle. Our custom orthotics provide stability, shock absorption, and fit to the arches of your feet to prevent overpronation after they’re inserted into the shoes of your choice.
The Best Pronation Correction Custom Orthotics and Shoe Inserts
Don’t accept that you’ll have to live with uncomfortable, painful foot troubles as a result of overpronation. It’s simple to safeguard your feet from the long-term impacts of overpronation with a new pair of shoes or custom orthotics.
Start here to pick a bundle that meets your feet’s specific requirements.
