Pronation is a major buzzword within the runningcommunity, but many people don't have a totally clear idea of what it refersto. It's important to pay attention to pronation when you're trying to become abetter runner and get the most out of each stride, but the effects go beyondefficiency. When you don't work to mitigate the negative effects of yourpronation style, you put yourself at risk for shin splints and many other kindsof foot injuries. There three different pronation styles you can have: normalpronation, overpronation and underpronation.
What is pronation?
Let's start with the basics: Pronation is the rolling ofyour foot after your heel strikes the ground, allowing your body weight toevenly distribute across the plane of your foot. Your feet will roll inward tosome degree even with perfectly normal pronation, but this often gets out ofwhack due to foot and gait problems.
So why is pronation important? It helps your feet properlyabsorb shock and push off the ground.
Normal pronation
The good news: To pronate while you walk or run is totallynormal. Normal pronation (also considered a neutral pattern) is defined as a15-degree roll inward, which most evenly distributes your weight across yourfoot and absorbs the force of impact. Not sure if you run with neutralpronation? Your older shoes will have worn down in an S-shaped pattern movingfrom your heel to your big toe.
This kind of pronation means you can wear almost any kind ofrunning shoe, but you'll benefit most from shoes that offer a moderate amountof support. Needless to say, a runner with this kind of pronation is the leastlikely to sustain an injury.
Overpronation
Overpronating usually occurs in runners with flat feet, andit happens when the foot rolls inward more than 15 degrees. This is bad becauseit means you can't stabilize your body as well, and your big toe has to do mostof the work when you push off the ground. Think of it this way: When most ofyour body weight is shifted to the inside of your foot, your legs aren't movingthey way they're supposed to. Ultimately, this can cause more than just feetproblems like calluses and bunions - it can affect your hips and knees as well.If your shoes show extra wear on the inside of your heel and at the big toejoint, you're probably an overpronator.
Runners with this kind of foot issue need as muchsupport as possible and should keep that in mind when purchasing runningshoes.
Underpronation
This form of pronation (also called supination) isfrequently seen in runners with high arches and forces body weight to the outsideofthe foot. When an underpronator's heel strikes the ground, the foot rollsin less than 15 degrees, and most of the forward momentum is spurred by thelittle toes on the outside of your foot. With so much force on such a smallarea, runners are at a much greater risk of sustaining a stress fracture.
People who supinate typically do better wearing shoes thatallow for a more natural foot motion. Make sure your shoes have plenty ofcushioning, and if your arches aren't supported enough, opt for arch inserts.
One cool thing about running shoe manufacturers these daysis that they often list which shoes are good for overpronators, underpronatorsand neutral pronators. If you're not sure which one you are - or what shoe tochoose - it's a good idea to visit your podiatrist or a shoe-fittingspecialist. They'll be able to help you minimize your chance of injury and makerunning comfortably a breeze!
TO READ MORE, VISIT GOOD FEET.