Overpronation
Feet are designed to roll inward as a part of every step. This design helps them mold to various terrain underfoot without causing injury. This is called “pronation”. When your feet roll inward excessively, however, problems often arise. Excessive inward rolling of the feet and ankles is called “over-pronation” or “flat feet”.
What is Overpronation or Flat Feet?
Video transcriptWhat is Overpronation or Flat Feet? Transcript
(This transcript is not meant to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read or seen on this website. If you think you may have a medical emergency, call your doctor, go to the emergency department, or call 911 immediately.)
Hello, I’m Donna Robertson, Head of Training and Chief Pedorthist for Foot Solutions, a foot wellness retailer specializing inexpertly fittedfootwear and custom crafted orthotic insoles. Today I want to discuss with you the underlying cause of many foot ailments, that beingoverpronation.Feet are supposed to pronate (roll inward) as a part of every step you take. This aids in adjusting or allowing the foot to accommodate to various terrain such as stepping on (sand, rocks, various obstacles) without injury. Rolling inward is called pronation which is a normal function of the foot during gait. When your feet roll inward excessively, over-pronation, problems often arise.Note that sometimes people who over-pronate are told they have “flat feet”. The term “flat feet” can be misleading. When standing, body weight can cause the arch of most feet to flatten out somewhat. This does not mean they become flat like pancakes (though some feet do). Instead, the arch shape elongates, flatter and the arch height becomes lower.When the feet are too flexible and they bear the full weight of the body (as instanding, walking, or running), they stretch too much causing the feet and ankles to roll inward. People who have high, medium, and low arches all have the potential for over-pronation leading to dysfunction, overuse, and painful symptoms. It is not the height of the arches that determines over-pronation. It is the amount of flexibility or instability in the feet. Over-pronation is the result of too much flexibility of critical joint structures, ligament laxity and loss of muscle strength in the feet. There are lots of reasons for this including heredity, obesity, pregnancy, and the repetitive pounding of the feet on the hard, flat surfaces of modern life.If you overpronate, you may at some point in your life experience heel and arch pain, metatarsalgia, plantar fasciitis, heel and bone spurs, bunions, hammer toes, neuroma, hallux rigidus, sesamoiditis, achilles tendonitis, and post-tib tendonitis. In addition, excessive pronation leads to a loss of joint stability, muscular strength and postural balance creating abnormal biomechanics during gait and causing bodily issues such as back and joint pain.The feet act as a spring, propelling the body forward with each step. If the spring is not working, the propelling force must come from the knees, the hip, or lower back. Because these areas are not designed to function in this manner, the deterioration and the chronic pain cycle will continue until something is done to support and control excessive or over pronation of the foot and ankle.It goes without saying thatoverpronationis an issue you should correct before it starts causing problems. How to solve foroverpronationand how Foot Solutions can help are questions we will tackle in follow up videos. To learn more or to schedule a visit with our in-store pedorthists, visitwww.footsolutions.com. Your feet are the foundation of your health.Let us take care of them for you.
Common Ways to Treat Overpronation
Video transcriptCommon Ways to Treat Overpronation Transcript
(This transcript is not meant to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read or seen on this website. If you think you may have a medical emergency, call your doctor, go to the emergency department, or call 911 immediately.)
Hello, I’m Donna Robertson, Head of Training and Chief Pedorthist for Foot Solutions, a foot wellness retailer specializing inexpertly fittedfootwear and custom crafted orthotic insoles. In a previous video, we discussed the problem ofoverpronation, the excessive inward rolling of the foot, and the numerous issued associated with this condition.In this video we are going to discuss how to treatoverpronation.Though heredity and the conveniences of modern life (paving, structured shoes, etc.)play an important role in determiningoverpronation, there are some simple but important things you can do to reduce (or even eliminate) the negative consequences ofoverpronation.We recommend your feet be assessed by a trained pedorthist who can identify over-pronation and guide you to appropriate footwear selection and arch supports. Custom foot orthotic selection should provide comfort and positive results. Orthotics maximize foot and body mechanics while we stand, walk, and run by controlling motion, weight distribution and reactive ground pressure. This is critical in maintaining proper mechanics and foot health.If possible, arch supports or orthotic insoles should be custom designed by an expert to conform to your exact foot specifications and your lifestyle.Orthotic insoles take many different forms, densities, and functions and—if not designed specifically for you—they can do more harm than good. Even the selection of over-the-counter arch supports should be done with the assistance of a trained professional to ensure the optimal health and stabilitybenefits.At Foot Solutions, our trained experts are here to help eliminate current and future issues caused by over-pronation. We carry everything from supportive athletic, casual, house, and dress shoes to custom crafted orthotics all selected to optimize your health. Your feet are the foundation ofyour health. Let us take care of them for you.
What is Foot Solutions?
Video transcriptWhat is Foot Solutions? Transcript
(This transcript is not meant to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read or seen on this website. If you think you may have a medical emergency, call your doctor, go to the emergency department, or call 911 immediately.)
For over 20 years, Foot Solutions has been evaluating, solving, and preventing foot and joint issues for people just like you.Our highly trained board certified foot specialists are available at our retail locations to expertly fit you in a truly custom orthotic and recommend the perfect footwear from our collection of stylish international brands.We are proud to have thousands of positive reviews online, evidencing the care and attention that defines our service. At Foot Solutions, you will meet men and women passionate about foot and joint health and eager to provide you with a meaningful, first-class experience.Come into Foot Solutions and see for yourself how visiting with one of our specialists can improve your quality of life.
Symptoms, Causes and Common Treatments
Overpronation
Symptoms
- Heel and arch pain
- Metatarsalgia
- Plantar fasciitis
- Heel spurs
- Bunions
- Hammer toes
- Neuroma
- Hallux rigidus
- Sesamoiditis
- Achilles tendonitis
- Bone spurs
- Posterior tibial tendonitis
- And more…
Causes
When the feet are too flexible and they bear the full weight of the body above (as in standing, walking or running), they stretch too much causing the feet and ankles to roll inward. People who have high arches, medium arches and low arches all have the potential for over-pronation (“flat feet”). It is not the height of the arches that determines over-pronation. It is the amount of flexibility in the feet. Over-pronation is the result of too much flexibility in the feet. There are lots of reasons for this including heredity, obesity, pregnancy and the repetitive pounding of the feet on the hard, flat surfaces of modern life. Many foot health experts believe that the combination of putting very young feet in structured footwear combined with the consistently hard, flat surfaces of modern life restricts the feet from moving through a broad range of motion and inhibits the strengthening of the muscles within the foot, thereby causing the majority of people in the developed world to over-pronate to various degrees. Interestingly, studies have shown that people in the undeveloped world who walk a natural, unpaved terrain and who do not wear structured shoes do not tend to have the foot, joint and back problems that people in the paved, structured shoe wearing parts of the world suffer.
Common Treatments
Though heredity and the conveniences of modern life (paving, structured shoes, etc.) play an important role in determining over-pronation, there are some simple but important things you can do to reduce (or even eliminate) the negative consequences of over-pronation. First, have your feet assessed by a trained Pedorthist who can identify over-pronation and guide you to appropriate footwear and arch supports. Wear an appropriate arch support (orthotic) for your arch shape and height. Most over-the-counter arch supports offer surprisingly little actual arch support. The reason for this is simple. Feet come in many different shapes and sizes. OTC arch support manufacturers err on the safe side and sell relatively low arch supports, even the ones with fancy machines designed to pick what is right for you. This way, there is little risk of putting a high arch support under a low arch foot (which could cause serious injury including a very badly sprained ankle or worse). Custom arch supports made by a trained Pedorthist are the ideal solution. Custom arch supports are made to perfectly support the unique size, shape and flexibility of each foot with the specific types of shoes to be worn included as a part of the design.
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- Supportive athletic, casual or dress shoes
- Custom-fitted, custom-crafted arch support (orthotics)
- Over-the-counter arch supports (orthotics)
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