What Are Supination Insoles?

If you were told that you need supination insoles, it’s because your feet tend to over-supinate. What does this mean? Simply speaking, your foot rolls outward as you walk. Supination insoles tend to be high arch support that will help your feet maintain proper motion, stability, and promote a healthy pronation with each step.

You don’t consciously supinate. It’s something that happens naturally when you walk. What it means is that all of your weight and the stress of your gait is put on the heel, ball of foot, and outside edge of your foot as you walk. In normal walking, the weight is distributed evenly throughout the width of the foot. However, if you put your weight on the inside or on the outside of your foot during walking, it creates stress points that can affect your feet, ankles, knees, hips, and even lower-back.

By putting more weight on the outside of the foot, the inside/arch of the foot doesn’t get the opportunity to support the foot as well as it should. Supination may occur because you have a high foot arch, which tends to force one to walk on the outer edge of the foot.  A high arch is considered an inflexible foot by podiatrists. It is fixed in one position (the high arch) and the arch won’t collapse.

How do I know if I am over supinating?

  • Try the wet test if you are not sure if your foot arch is high. Those with high-arched feet likely supinate.
  • You experience ankle instability and sprains from your ankle rolling outward.
  • You see a noticeable wear pattern on the outside of your shoes from heel to forefoot.

Supination with high arched feet can lead to the following foot conditions:

  • Ankle sprain and foot instability
  • Calluses
  • Cavus Foot
  • Foot rigidity
  • Hammer toes and claw toes
  • Fat Pad Atrophy
  • Plantar Fasciitis

The major downside to supination is that extra stress is placed on the outside of the foot with each step you take. Walking or running long distances while supinating will hurt your feet, and you’ll end up with more pain as you participate in the activity more frequently. Even standing for long time periods of time can be enough to cause foot pain or foot fatigue.

Supination insoles are high arch insoles that distribute the forces on the foot more evenly. As a result, foot fatigue and/or foot pain will decrease as your foot adjusts to normal pronation, distributing pressure and stress across the entire foot like it should.

To find supination insoles, simply look for high-arched insoles, especially those that specifically say they have been created to control foot movement side to side. For example, the Birkenstock BirkoBalance arch support insoles are perfect to prevent supination. These leather-lined, moleskin-bottomed insoles feature cork cushioning and raised flanges that aid in controlling foot movement.

Other recommended supination insoles are the Sof Sole FIT High Arch Insoles, Currexsole ActivePro High Arch Insoles, and the Powerstep Pinnacle Plus Orthotic Insoles.

  1. The Sof Sole FIT High Arch Insoles are the highest over the counter orthotic arch supports with a 3.3cm high arch (most “high arch” insoles average a 2.5cm arch height) and weighing  1.8 ounces.  One our most popular orthotics with nice cushioning throughout and a rigid arch support.
  2. Currexsole ActivePro High Arch Insoles support your foot with a CurEVA rubber compound on the bottom and a semi-rigid arch support.  This is a minimalist insoles that will take up the least amount of space in your footwear, making it ideal for tighter-fitting shoes.
  3. The Powerstep Pinnacle Plus Orthotic Insoles offer Powerstep’s podiatrist designed 2.5cm high semi-rigid arch support coupled with a raised metatarsal pad for additional lift and pressure relief on the metatarsals.

Supination is easily managed with a high-arched orthotic arch support. Be sure to check out the best selection of insoles for supination today!

Back to blog