With each step you take every day, your foot flattens slightly as you shift your weight from heel to forefoot during your step. This is a natural motion and is called “pronation.” However, it is common for individuals to over-pronate, or over-flatten the arch of the foot during each step, which is often characterized by a “rolling inward” of the foot during normal steps. This over-pronation can lead to a number of issues, such as arch pain, heel pain, instability, imbalance, and unnatural wear & tear on both the feet and footwear.
Over-pronation can be prevented with the use of an orthotic arch support to keep the foot properly supported and aligned during any walking activities.
What is Over-Pronation?
Over-pronation is the turning inward of the foot at the ankle and the over-flattening of the foot arch, such that you tend to walk predominantly on the inside of your foot when taking steps. When you are walking or running with over-pronation, your arches flatten and stretch more than normal, causing increased strain in your muscles, tendons, and ligaments. You also become more susceptible to knee, hip, or back pain, ankle sprains, shin splints, achilles tendonitis, heel spurs, and plantar fasciitis, all as a result of over-pronation.
An easy way to tell if you are dealing with over-pronation is by looking at the back of your shoes. Does the inside of them look like they are wearing quicker than the outside? If so then you more than likely are dealing with over-pronation.
If you have flat feet or low arches, this may also be a telltale sign that you have over-pronation. If you are unsure what type of arch you have, you can try doing the wet test,a simple trick to tell you what type of arch you have.
How do you Prevent Over-Pronation?
To prevent over-pronation, you need two things. First, you need to stabilize the heel and ankle to prevent your ankle from rolling inward while stepping. Second, you need to have an arch support that will both prevent over-collapse of the arch and help guide the foot in a natural amount of pronation with each step.
A deep heel cup will help “lock” the ankle and lower arch in place, preventing the arch of the foot from over-collapsing and keeping the ankle from rolling too much in any direction while taking steps. Similarly, the arch support will prevent the arch of the foot from over-collapsing during steps, guiding the foot in a natural motion by stopping the foot at the point of natural pronation. Both of these combined will keep your feet from over-pronating.
What makes for a good Over-Pronation Insole?
When looking for an insoles that can help assist in the prevention and treatment of Over-Pronation, we suggest having the proper foundation for correct foot alignment: a semi-rigid or rigid arch support to prevent arch collapse and a deep heel cup for stability. The deep heel cup with help naturally align your foot while the arch support will help keep your arch from falling flat, all while promoting proper alignment.
Best Insoles for Over-Pronation
Based on our criteria for over-pronation insoles, we’ve put together a list of the top insoles to help with the treatment and prevention of over-pronation:
Orthaheel Relief Full-length Orthotic Insoles – The Orthaheel Relief Insoles are a full-length, semi-rigid orthotic arch support insole that is suitable for all arch types. They feature a deep heel cup with built-in heel and forefoot padding for increased comfort and shock absorption. They are clinically proven to align the foot to help alleviate both over-pronation and supination, and they relieve common foot pain symptoms resulting from flat feet, low arches, and collapsed arches. The Relief Insoles feature a Biomechanical Tri-Planar Motion Control arch support that allows your foot to rest in its natural position.
Sof Sole FIT Insoles – The Sof Sole Fit Insoles are a full-length, rigid orthotic arch support insole. They come in three different arch heights to make them suitable for Low Arches, Neutral Arches, and High Arches. They offer an anatomical nylon support plate that provides foot stability while maintaining motion control while also restoring and maintaining proper foot arch function, balance, and alignment.
Superfeet Green Premium Insoles – This insole features a full-length, rigid orthotic arch support that is best for neutral to high arch types. They have a deep heel cup, stabilizer cap, high-density foam footbed, and a biomechanical shape for maximum support and shock absorption, resulting in proper bone alignment and proper foot support.
Dealing with over-pronation is rather straightforward and can prevent you from a lot of pain and discomfort. Visit our Over-Pronation insoles page to read more and find treatment options that are right for you!