Excessive pronation. How is the movement carried out? Degrees and types of pronation

When choosing running shoes, you should be guided by what surface you will be running on, what distances and in what mode (competitions, intense training, jogging, etc.). Ditto for the right choice biomechanical parameters of the body are very important, such as weight, leg size (length and width) and, of course, pronation. What is often overlooked is the suitability of shoes for your pronation type. This may cause problems in the future, since active activities Running can cause injury. After all, when running, the foot is subjected to significant stress. And injuries, as you know, are the most undesirable phenomenon for an athlete. Well-known triathlon authority and coach Joe Friel likes to say: “Running shoes have become so technologically advanced that the wrong pair of running shoes can cause injury.”

So, what is pronation and how can you determine its character?

Pronation is a natural movement that causes the foot to roll inward. Due to the structure of the foot, some runners underpronate (hypopronation), while others overpronate (overpronation). Every self-respecting running shoe manufacturer releases the degree of pronation and produces different types of shoes.

As a rule, the nature of pronation correlates well with the type of arch of the foot. In other words, with a high degree of probability you can correctly determine the nature of pronation by determining the type of arch of the foot. For this purpose, the so-called “wet test” is often used - a procedure in which a wet foot is stepped on a sheet of paper and the arch of the foot is determined from the resulting imprint.

If you have a normal foot arch (middle image), then most likely you are a so-called “neutral pronator” and you should choose stabilizing running shoes "Support" with average control of pronation. Runners who tend to have flat feet (right picture) tend to be “overpronators.” They need a controlling couple like "Control" in order to control excessive pronation and prevent the foot from “twisting” too much. Running in sneakers without such control can cause unpleasant injuries. Runners with high arches (left picture) are most likely to be "overpronators" and should use neutral-cushioned shoes such as "Neutral", which does not have a strong supportive effect and allows the foot to fully use its shock-absorbing potential.

Please note that for normal pronators, stabilizing shoes of the “Support” class are suitable, and not “Neutral”, as one might think.

You can determine the nature of pronation if you carefully look at the work of a running person’s foot during landing and take-off. Also a good indicator is the distribution of abrasions on the soles of old sneakers.

Neutral pronator

When running, the outside of the heel comes into contact with the surface. The foot rotates inward about 15% and reaches full contact with the ground, supporting the body weight without any problem. The deflection of the foot ensures optimal distribution of the load from an impact on the surface. This is the natural shock-absorbing effect of pronation. Neutral pronators need a little support. At the end of the cycle, the entire forefoot pushes off evenly.

Hypopronator

Surface contact - outside heels. But the inward arch of the foot is less than 15%, meaning the movement is less than that of runners with low or normal arches. IN in this case Impact forces are placed more on the outside of the foot and are not distributed effectively if the shoe provides too much support. During the push-off stage, the small toes work with outside feet. This is the rarest type of pronation. The pictures show left leg athlete.

Models of ASICS sneakers for hypopronators:

Many of us have certain, sufficient practical life knowledge of anatomy and physiology human body. But to the simple question “what is pronation of the foot - a disease, congenital pathology or something else?" in 9 cases out of 10 you are unlikely to get a clear answer. And this despite the fact that we encounter this phenomenon almost every day.

Big medical encyclopedia defines pronation of the foot as its rotation around its longitudinal axis. With this rotation, the foot itself turns forward and inward, and this movement is characterized by raising the outer edge of the foot and lowering the inner one. Reverse rotation of the foot is called supination.

Now let's break this definition down into simple example walking. When a person takes a step, he places his foot on his heel. Then, to take the next step, he leans on the foot, transferring his weight to its center, and the foot, under the influence of this weight, sags, falls inward, its arch becomes flatter. This movement is called pronation. And the movement opposite to the one described above, in which the foot falls outward, is supination.

We can say that in every step we take there is a pronation phase and a supination phase. They allow you to quickly change the direction of movement, absorb the forces of impacts or repulsions of the foot from the surface. And this load during fast running can reach a value 6–8 times greater than a person’s own weight.

Pronation is a shock-absorbing mechanism inherent in the foot that can soften the shock load on it, as well as keep the body in balance when the foot lands on a hard surface or pushes off from it.

Types of pronation

The amount of pronation is individual for each person. But, generalizing these values, we can divide people into 3 types:

• hyperpronators (or over-pronators);
• neutral pronators;
• hypopronators (or under-pronators).

Neutral pronation is considered ideal. But moderate over- or underpronation is also not a particular problem, and medicine is considered to be close to normal. Problems arise when a person has pronounced hyper- or hypopronation.

Hyper-, or, as it is more often called, overpronation is dangerous because when moving the foot, in order to rest on the surface, it has to sag greatly, thereby stretching soft fabrics and causing the foot joints to move too much. With hypo-, or underpronation, the foot comes into contact with the surface too quickly when moving, which is why the load transmitted to the foot is not fully softened, and the movements are too harsh.

In the first case, joints are overstrained due to a constant unnaturally large range of motion. In the second case, the outstanding depreciation load is transferred to musculoskeletal system. The result in both cases will be identical: first discomfort and rapid fatigue legs when walking or running, and over time – leg injuries.

There are several simple ways, allowing you to determine the type of pronation of the foot yourself. However, there is still no one hundred percent accurate among them, so it is recommended for more accurate results to determine it not in one, but in two or three ways.

Home methods for determining pronation

One of the most accurate methods is the so-called. "wet method" Pour a little water into a shallow vessel (basin, bowl or tray) so that it just covers the bottom. Then you need to put your foot in the water and make sure that the entire sole of your foot is wet. After this, take your foot out and step on a sheet of thick paper so that a wet imprint of your foot remains on it. It is necessary to step from a standing position, and not to lower the leg in a sitting position, since in the second case the pressure on the foot will be much weaker, therefore, the test will initially be inaccurate.

Thin paper is not suitable as it will inevitably become very deformed under your weight. You should also not keep your foot on the paper for a long time - the paper will absorb the flowing water, and the print will turn out blurry, but you need to be as clear as possible. It is the imprint left that will show the type of pronation you have. If your foot is almost completely imprinted on the paper, you are overpronating and your foot is arching too much. In other words, you have low arches and possibly flat feet.

If the middle of the foot is not visible on the print, then you are a hypopronator, and your foot does not bend down enough under load to effectively absorb the force of shocks. Pronation is considered normal if the forefoot, heel and approximately half of the arch are clearly visible on the print. In this case, you should not have any problems when walking or running.

The second method is easier to implement, but it is more approximate in determining the type of pronation. Stand comfortably on a flat surface with your bare feet slightly apart. Now you need to push it under inner side feet of a small coin. If it is inconvenient to do this yourself, ask someone close to you to help. With normal pronation, the coin will completely disappear under the arch of the foot. If you fail to push it completely, then you are overpronating. If you managed to push the coin so far that it appeared from under the opposite edge of the foot, then you have hypopronation.

A general rule to follow when determining pronation: in theory, both feet have the same cushioning capacity, but to avoid errors, you should always measure it on each foot separately.

Identification of the type of pronation by external signs

But you can determine the type of pronation without resorting to special measurements. To do this, just take a close look at the soles of your old shoes. If inner part If the soles are worn much more than the outer soles, then, most likely, you have excessive pronation. This is also evidenced by severe wear on the outer side of the heel, since with this anatomical structure When walking or running, the load first falls on the outer part of the heel, and then is distributed over the entire foot.

If the inner and outer parts of the foot are worn equally, or the inner part is slightly more worn than the outer part, then this most likely indicates that you have normal pronation. If the outer part of the sole of the shoe is noticeably more worn than the inner part, then you most likely have underpronation.

However, it should be borne in mind that such a conclusion can only be made on the soles of shoes intended for walking or sports shoes, for example, sneakers. If we consider work shoes, for example, of professional drivers or installers, then it is clear that their wear patterns will be determined by the professional characteristics of the work and are not suitable as a sample for determining pronation.

You can learn a lot about your pronation when you stand up. To do this, you need to carefully look at how your feet are positioned. If, when you get up, go naturally turn outward, causing your ankles to “scoot” to the sides, then you have hypopronation; if they noticeably bend inward, tilting your ankles towards each other, you are overpronating. With normal pronation, your feet should be level on the surface and your ankles should be parallel to each other.

But still, no matter how easy it may seem to determine the type of your own pronation yourself - if you suspect that you have a hyper- or hypotype of pronation, then it is best to immediately visit a specialist. Don't delay your visit to the doctor. It will help compensate for natural deficiencies in your body's anatomy or allay your fears.

Only an orthopedic surgeon can perform required measurements and tests to accurately determine the type of pronation and make appropriate recommendations regarding the selection of special shoes, if necessary.

The mechanism of the human foot is very complex. During running, walking, and jumping, this part of the limb experiences enormous stress every minute. When in contact with a support, it goes through three motor phases: abduction or adduction, flexion or extension, rotation outward or inward. Therefore, it is not surprising that under such loads, almost eighty percent of people experience problems associated with this part of the leg.

The condition of the foot is influenced by many factors. Among them are physical activity, general health, profession, and sometimes shoes. Experts have defined the shock absorption mechanism, the ability of this part of the limb to become as flat as possible during loads, with the term “pronation of the foot.”

How to determine its degree, find out what caused the injury? This, of course, can only be done by a doctor. However, today many people are trying to understand on their own the causes of their ailments, so this article will be useful to them.

Pronation of the foot is inward. It helps reduce the load from the impact that accompanies the contact of the limb with the support, as well as dissipate it over the entire surface.

When overpronation occurs, a person's feet become painful or often injured. This is most often observed in runners, as well as those who are on the move a lot. As a rule, such people are provoked by injuries to the lower leg and the area near the tibia.

The cause of these problems is flat footing, which causes the arch of the foot to move inward and the toes to move outward. As a result, on tibia is created and, as a result, the effectiveness of the functioning of muscles that are stretched decreases.

The other extreme - supination or insufficient pronation of the foot - on the contrary, reduces shock absorption when in contact with the supporting surface, since in this case the person rests only on its outer part.

Neither excessive pronation of the foot nor supination is desirable. In both cases, with biomechanical failures in a certain part of this department, a excessive load. And as a result, pathologies begin to develop. There may be, for example, deformation of bones or the appearance of a protective tissue layer, etc. Pronation of the foot may also have hereditary roots.

Of course, such a violation motor function does not pose a threat to life. This may be why orthopedists do not sound the alarm when foot pronation is excessive or insufficient, especially since this disease does not require long-term drug treatment.

Most often, the doctor recommends that the patient wear special shoes that correct foot movements, and also use insoles with arch supports. This prevents further development disturbances, and also the indicators return to normal, as a result of which the pain decreases. Great importance There is also special physical therapy. During it, the structures are strengthened and the pronation of the foot is normalized.

Pronation of the foot is the way the outer part of the foot is positioned when moving. Pronation serves as a mechanism for protecting not only joints, but also internal organs from shocks leading to damage. To reduce the load, the arch of the foot becomes flatter when touching the surface.

Pronation and supination

Among the biomechanical processes that occur in the limbs of a running person, the main ones are pronation and supination of the foot. Pronation can be defined as the ability of the foot to turn inward during movement. The reverse movement of pronation is called supination. Supination controls outward rotation of the limbs, while pronation controls inward rotation. The muscles that rotate the foot outward are called the supinator, and the muscles that rotate the foot inward are called the pronator.

Pronation and supination affect both running technique in particular and leg health in general. Correct definition type of pronation helps in selecting shoes for sports activities and building a workout that brings maximum benefit. Pronation and supination ensure that the athlete does not lose balance when pushing, as well as when landing.

Pronation should not be considered as one movement. It includes 3 simultaneous movements:

• Eversion.
• Abduction.
• Dorsiflexion.

The terms are deciphered as follows:

• Flattening of the arch of the foot.
• Movement ankle joint to the central axis of the body.
• Turning out the forefoot.

Pronation is significant when you land on your heel. Observing the movement of a limb, it is easy to follow step cycle, consisting of 2 phases: transfer and support.

Types of pronation

There are 3 main groups of people with the following pronations:

• Hypopronators.
• Hyperpronators.
• Neutral pronators.

If there are foot deviations of more than 4 degrees, this is considered a disorder, which leads to changes in the functioning of the musculoskeletal system. This condition carries the risk of injury as a result of irrational load distribution. A person cannot make the most of his physical capabilities.

Overpronators

The foot is characterized by a decrease in the longitudinal arch, which leads to a decrease in the shock-absorbing effect. Due to the stretched position of the ligaments, the free play coefficient is low. In this case, weakening of the muscles is observed, which contributes to the development of flat feet, and the load on the back and knees increases.

Hypopronators

The main feature of the structure of the foot is the lack of deflection, which results in unsatisfactory shock absorption, leading to frequent injuries. When moving, the following happens: in the first phase of the step, the lower leg, instead of moving inward, is directed outward, and the foot, without resting on the arch, chooses the outer edge as support. A person cannot move his body weight onto the arch, which is popularly called “clubfoot.”

Neutral pronation

When running, the outside of the heel contacts the surface. The foot rotates within 15 degrees and full contact with the surface is achieved. At the same time, maintaining body weight occurs without difficulty, which is the effect of depreciation of pronation. Neutral pronators require little support. The end of the cycle is characterized by a uniform push-off with the forefoot.

To find out the type of pronation, you can use several methods

How to find out your pronation type

The type of pronation can be determined in the following ways:

• Photo test.
• "Wet" test.
• Using X-rays.

Foot photography

When photographing, the person must stand bare feet on a flat floor. In the case of overpronation, the foot turns inward, which is often a prerequisite for the development of flat feet due to stretched ligaments. This is an obstacle to the performance of depreciation functions.

Wet test

To obtain a fingerprint, you must wet feet stand on cardboard. If the entire surface of the foot is imprinted, this indicates overpronation. A void between the toe impressions and the heel indicates underpronation. The norm is the absence of an imprint of the arch.

Coins will help

To use the verification method, you need an assistant. A person who wants to determine the type of pronation must take a standing position. An attempt to insert a ten-kopeck coin under the arch of the foot with an assistant will show the result: if it does not work, the arch of the foot is low, there is flat feet.

Instead of a ten-kopeck coin, they take a ruble coin. During its passage, pronation can be considered neutral. Overpronation is assumed if this coin easily slips under the arch.

Test using a two-ruble coin. When a 2 ruble coin passes freely under the foot, hypopronation is diagnosed. The most accurate way to determine overpronation is a treadmill test using video recording.

You can determine the type of pronation by examining old shoes: If the shoe is worn from the inside, flat feet should be assumed

Causes of deformation

Provoking factors for foot deformities are:

• Excess body weight.
• Wearing high-heeled shoes.
• Flat sole shoes.
• Exceeding the norm of physical activity.
• Pathologies of the musculoskeletal system.
• Weakness of the muscle corset.
• Senile changes in bones.
• Neuromuscular pathologies.

What do foot defects lead to?

Deformations cause a lack of shock absorption during movement. Most often this affects the joints, as well as the spine, as the load on the skeleton increases. The body has to look for ways to adapt and protect all organs from functional failure.

Such a restructuring can lead to the development of clubfoot, flat feet, hallux valgus deformity, plantar calluses, Achilles tendon damage. The most serious pathology caused by foot deformity is arthrosis. With the disease, degenerative processes in the joints are observed as a result of impaired blood circulation caused by overpronation.

Subsequently, the joints are destroyed. Leg pathologies are characterized by latent progression. There are no symptoms for a long time; exacerbations are usually provoked by active physical exercise. Treatment of the disease is aimed at preventing changes, stopping pain manifestations while walking or exercising.

How to choose sneakers and insoles

Purchasing running shoes for overpronation should be done in a store with video footage on a treadmill. IN otherwise the correction may be excessive, and the sneakers will cause the foot to underpronate, causing the knees to suffer from impact rather than from twisting.

Adequate selection of running shoes should keep the feet in a normal range, and not lead them into underpronation. For flat feet, custom insoles are recommended to compensate for overpronation. It is better to purchase running insoles from specialized clinics.

Exercises are required physical therapy to strengthen the muscles that support the arches of the feet

The most important

Pronation helps smooth out the impact of landing, protecting the knees, hip joints from injuries. Overpronation occurs in 75% of runners; underpronation is very rare. The main causes of overpronation are: weakness of the foot muscles, longitudinal flatfoot, weakness of the thigh muscles.

Most exact method determination of overpronation - test with video recording while running. If overpronation is detected, constant strengthening of the muscles that perform a stabilizing function is necessary. You should pay attention to the selection of sneakers with protection against overpronation. Severe flat feet require custom insoles.

However, special sneakers are not the only or necessary solution for those who have overpronation. You will learn about this and more in this material.

How the foot works when running

When running, our foot performs two main movements: pronation and supination, which are responsible for shock absorption during landing and propulsion during take-off.

Pronation- something like a car spring: due to it, the impact is smoothed out when placing the foot on the ground and balance is maintained on an uneven surface.

Pronation is very necessary and important, because when landing, the leg hits the ground and, according to the laws of conservation of energy, this impact (and when running it is 5-10 times stronger than when walking) goes into the body. If it is absorbed by direct impulse, then too much stress will be placed on the knee, hip joint and lower back. It's like dropping a metal crowbar on the ground with all your might.

But at this moment pronation kicks in. Touching the surface, the foot rotates, becomes flatter and turns outward - the movement occurs in three planes at once. In this case, the foot falls slightly inward, and the ankle makes a lateral movement.

You can see how the foot works while running in this slow-motion video from Haile Gebrselassie:

Due to this, the impact upon landing is not straight, but slightly blurred to the side. That is, returning to our example with a crowbar, if you tie an elastic band to the end of the crowbar and drop it in the same way, then the elastic band will move it a little to the side, and the blow will be softened. In a similar way, pronation protects the knee and hip joints, as well as the lower back, from impact when landing.

Supination- a process opposite to pronation, it turns our foot into a “hard lever”. Rigidity is needed at the very first moment of touching the ground - when the foot takes on the body weight, as well as when active phase push - to give the body a clearly directed forward movement.

During the supination movement, the upper side of the foot - the one opposite the sole - turns outward, the longitudinal arch rises, the foot shortens, and its joints “lock” - a fairly rigid structure is obtained.

What are the types of pronation disorders?

This is how the foot works ideally - with the so-called neutral pronation. But this is not always the case: pronation may still be insufficient (underpronation) or excessive (overpronation).

The normal range of ankle deflection during landing is 5–7, maximum 8, degrees.

Underpronation is rare. Insufficient pronation means that the “spring” does not work well: when landing, the foot remains flat and the impact goes to the knee, hip joint and lower back. Running with hypopronation often looks like prancing - with strong vertical oscillations of the body.

A much more common occurrence is overpronation or overpronation. In this case, the ankle and foot collapse more than with a normal protective mechanism.

The angle of deviation of the ankle during overpronation is from 8 to 15 degrees. It is believed that correction is needed if the deviation is more than 10 degrees. But if you run long distances, it is advisable to correct a smaller degree of overpronation.

By different estimates and the experience of specialists, 70% of runners have overpronation. The encouraging news is that actual correction is required in 20–30% of cases.

What causes overpronation?

There are three main causes of overpronation: longitudinal flat feet, weak muscles feet and weak hip stabilizers.

Longitudinal flatfoot (or “planovalgus foot deformity”)

This is the most common cause of overpronation. In this case, the person stands with the foot already collapsed, and the pronation movement in his dynamics will also be increased.

However, equating flat feet with overpronation is not entirely correct. Flat feet are a certain static structure of the foot, and overpronation, like pronation in general, is movement.

Most often, people with flat feet have excessive pronation, but flat feet and overpronation are not always the same thing. For example, flat foot can be well compensated by muscles and ensure normal pronation. The opposite situation: a person without flat feet may have overpronation due to weak muscles.

Weak foot stabilizer muscles

These are the short and long tertiary muscles, the peroneal muscles and the posterior tibialis muscle. They, along with tendons, ligaments and bones, hold the foot in a relatively flat position during landing and push-off. If the stabilizer muscles are weak and poorly developed, then they spring less and the foot goes into hyperpronation more strongly.

Weak hip stabilizer muscles

The hip stabilizers are the pelvic muscles: the gluteus maximus and the gluteus medius. When they don't support the foot enough, it falls inward more, which means the foot sinks more and overpronation occurs.

What's wrong with overpronation and how it affects our body

The pronation movement upon landing initiates a twisting moment in knee-joint. Overpronation causes the foot to roll inward too much, causing the knee, hip, and lower back to rotate inward. But first of all, the knee joints suffer from such twisting.

Overpronation can also cause problems at the foot and ankle level. When the foot falls inward, the ankle ligaments are stretched more, and pressure on the bones occurs on the outside. When the landing is not optimal, overpronators are strongly involved in their work. thumb, and you can damage its first joint.

Injuries due to overpronation most often occur in the feet and knee joint, less often in the hip joint and lower back.

How does overpronation manifest when running? In addition to the noticeable arch of the foot, the running technique of a person with overpronation has other features. For example, the foot seems to “stick” to the surface.

With fatigue, the picture becomes even more characteristic: pronation increases, the knee bends more, “stagnation” occurs on the supporting leg, and unnecessary lateral movements of the body are possible. To maintain the pace, the runner has to use additional muscles, and he gets even more tired.

Overpronation interferes with the formation of a “hard lever” from the foot and the driving leg. This makes pushing less effective and fatigue increases faster.

How to determine your pronation

The most accurate method for determining pronation is video shooting on a treadmill, so-called . These video-recorded tracks are usually installed in stores that sell running shoes and are used to select them.

The editors of Nogibogi went to test their pronation for treadmill at Saucony Srtide Lab in Kyiv. All subsequent photos are from there.

During the test, you run along a track barefoot, and behind you (or rather, your feet) are filmed.

Then freeze frames are taken with the position of the foot and ankle during landing, for each leg separately. With help special program pronation angles are measured.

Determine overpronation yourself only approximately possible. For example, ask someone to watch you run from behind, or film yourself. With excessive pronation, it is noticeable that the ankles roll inward.

Another way is to pay attention to the wear and tear of your running shoes. At different types pronation shoes wear out in characteristic places.

What to do if you overpronate

Exercises

So, the main causes of excessive pronation are weakness of the stabilizer muscles of the foot and hip. They can and should be strengthened to improve the situation. We already had a selection of simple ones. We will soon prepare a list of exercises for overpronators, but for now - only a few of them.

To strengthen the stabilizer muscles of the foot:

• in the forefoot in the area of ​​​​the toes and metatarsus, a load weighing from 800 to 1500 g is attached (for big man). It is most convenient to use sports arm weights. You need to raise your leg and perform circular movements with your foot in full amplitude in one direction and the other.
• an exercise that can be done in transport: stand on one leg, slightly raising the other, and balance in this way, maintaining balance while moving.

To strengthen the gluteus maximus muscle: squats, lunges, deadlifts, step ups and others.

To strengthen the gluteus medius muscle: swing your legs in a block device or with weights, abduct and lift your legs.

Anti-overpronation sneakers

The fact is that arch support and protection against overpronation in running shoes are different functions. Supportive sneakers are designed for people with flat feet. Their feature is a special protrusion (reinforcement) in the area of ​​the longitudinal arch.

Anti-overpronation shoes, in addition to arch support, have a built-in wedge in the heel area, due to which the inside of the heel area is denser and often higher.

You need to choose sneakers with protection against overpronation in a store that has video footage on the treadmill. Without this, it is almost impossible to select them correctly, and there is a danger that the correction will be excessive. In this case, sneakers can cause the foot to hypopronate, and the knees will begin to suffer not from twisting, but from impact. That is, with overpronation of 15 degrees, one model will be required, with 10 degrees - another.

Properly selected sneakers should return the feet to the normal range (up to 8 degrees, optimally about 5), and not lead them into insufficient pronation (0 degrees or a negative angle).

Insoles

At pronounced flat feet, against the background of which overpronation has developed, individual insoles are recommended to compensate for it.

Insoles are made individually for each person, taking into account the angle of overpronation, and are placed in sneakers for neutral pronation

For running insoles, it is better to contact sports doctors at specialized clinics and dispensaries. Regular podiatrists who do not deal with runners rarely see problems with overpronation (they almost never occur with walking) and do not have the relevant experience.

Briefly

Pronation is a normal natural mechanism that, through the action of the foot, helps smooth out the impact of landing and protect our knees, hips and lower back from damage.

With normal (neutral) pronation, the ankle deviates inward upon landing by 5–7, maximum 8, degrees.

Deviations from the norm can occur in both directions. With insufficient pronation (hypopronation), the ankle remains flat or falls outward (0 degrees or negative angle) - the shock load is poorly compensated. With excessive pronation (hyperpronation), the roll is too strong (8–15 degrees) - this causes twisting and the knee joint, ankles and what is higher may suffer.

Underpronation is rare; 70% of runners have some degree of overpronation. Correction is needed in 20–30% of cases: when the angle is more than 10 degrees or the person runs long distances.

The three main causes of overpronation are: longitudinal flat feet, weak foot stabilizer muscles, and weak hip stabilizer muscles.

Pronation is what happens in movement, flat feet - in static conditions. Often flat feet are accompanied by overpronation, but not always. Strong stabilizer muscles can compensate for flat feet and bring the foot into neutral pronation. By the same logic, a person may not have flat feet, but may have overpronation.

Most exact way to determine overpronation - undergo testing with video recording on a treadmill (gait analysis) with angle measurements.

You can find out for yourself whether you are overpronating by filming yourself running from behind or by looking at the wear of your running shoes. But these methods are approximate.

What to do if you overpronate: strengthen the stabilizer muscles of the foot, large and middle gluteal muscles. If there is excessive pronation in the absence of severe flat feet, choose sneakers with protection against overpronation. For severe flat feet, use individual insoles.

You need to choose sneakers with protection against overpronation in a store that has video footage on the treadmill to avoid overcorrection.

Photo: Dima Kovalenko. Illustration: Kira Laktionov.