Supination

Supination is a foot condition in which the foot and ankle does not turn inward (pronate) during walking or running. Instead, the ankle turns outward and the person walks as if they are avoiding any contact of the inner side of the foot or the big toe. In this case, most of the shock of the body weight hits the foot at the lateral heel and outside edge of the foot. The foot does not roll inward as it should during the walking or running process and the weight stays on the outside of the foot, which can cause pain and discomfort if continued over time.

The use of orthotic insoles or orthotic footwear is the most common treatment and prevention strategy for supination. Orthotic insoles and footwear help cradle the heel and support the arch of the foot to "guide" the foot towards a natural pronation motion.

It's natural to think that if you tend to walk on the outsides of your feet that you should add support to the outside of your feet to help "turn" the feet inward. While this will sometimes work, it treats a symptom of supination more than the cause.

The cause of supination is the outwards rolling of the ankle during movement. While outside foot support will help correct for this motion, it doesn't actually prevent the motion directly.

Orthotic support for the foot will help the foot pronate normally by cradling the heel and aligning the foot such that it pronates normally. This is the best treatment and prevention strategy for supination.