What is pronation, underpronation and overpronation?

Pronation

Our body has its own system for absorbing shock, and this is called pronation. It is a rolling motion that occurs when we place our foot on the ground, and normally, it starts on the outside of the heel before rolling forward towards the big toe. This is an important function in our body that helps distribute the load that the foot is subjected to.

The fact that we overpronate or oversupinate is something we are usually born with, and it's important to remember that it is completely natural. For some reason, some people are born stronger in a certain way and in certain areas than others, which can lead to problems. One can develop a range of injuries that arise from incorrect footwear for the type of pronation one has. One way to find out what suits you perfectly is to try wearing different shoes and feel your way to what is most comfortable for your feet.

Overpronation

With overpronation, you will notice that the inside of the foot at the ankle has an excessive inward movement when it hits the ground during walking or running, for example. However, when you are sitting comfortably in a chair, the overpronated foot will look completely normal.

In other words, a change in the foot is only seen when weight is placed on it, and the situation in the foot changes less when there is support under the foot from, for example, soft surfaces like carpets. The problem that arises from overpronation is the amount of time the foot stays in the pronation movement and how deep it goes; this prevents the foot from continuing the movement and recovering to supinate.

Every step we take when we overpronate leads to an imbalance in the body and further excessive wear and tear on tendons, joints, muscles, and ligaments.

Typical symptoms one may experience with overpronated feet include:

• Plantar fasciitis / heel spur
• Achilles tendinitis
• Foot pain
• Back pain
• Shin splints
• Knee pain

How you can check at home if you might have overpronation in your foot will be explained later in the article.

Underpronation

With underpronation, your feet can be stiff and have a high arch and instep. In some cases, only the heel and toes may come into contact with the ground. The load will then be excessive compared to those with more normative pronation. This means that someone with underpronated feet desperately needs a good deal of shock absorption to prevent the load from causing injury.

The reason your feet may supinate is usually congenital, but it can also be caused by a weakness in certain muscles in the foot, ankle, or leg – the weakness can be a result of:

• Incorrect footwear
• A misalignment in the body
• Or an injury to the foot that caused problems for muscles or tendons

A foot that is excessively supinated will not be able to adapt to the surface it walks on, and the muscles and bones around the foot must work harder to maintain balance. Over time, this will create tension in various parts of the body, including the calves, knees, hips, and back – and will lead to injuries. If that doesn't scare you, it's more simply explained that it throws a wrench in the whole body's mechanism and will cause misalignments and injuries if the problem is not corrected.

Similar to overpronation, you will be able to notice if you have this type of pronation when you put pressure on the foot. In contrast to overpronation, those who underpronate will see that the foot angles outward.

What you can do yourself:

• Use shoes that provide extra good cushioning and possibly offer extra support in the longitudinal arch of your foot.
• Try to avoid high-heeled shoes and shoes with thinner soles; if you have shoes with thin soles, buy an insole that can provide some extra support.
• Try to avoid walking and running on hard surfaces like concrete floors, etc., as the foot prefers softer surfaces. This is to facilitate the stimulation of the foot's musculature and joint function. If you work in a hospital or similar environment with a hard surface, invest in shoes with good cushioning so that your heels don't get worn out.

How to check it yourself

Guide for overpronation:

A quick and easy way to see if you overpronate is to look at the underside of the shoes you normally wear and observe where you have the most wear. If most of the wear is on the inside of the sole near the heel and near your big toe, there is a high probability that you overpronate. You might also notice that your shoes lean inward if you look at them on a flat surface.

The next step is to take off your socks and look at your feet barefoot. Do you have a low arch in your foot or flat feet? This could be another sign that you overpronate.

Those who overpronate also notice a number of symptoms;

• Pain in the heel or in the arch of the foot
• Flat feet
• Calluses
• Pain in the knee, hip, or back
• Hammer toe

Another curious thing you can do to check if you overpronate is to look at the front of your lower leg. Follow the bone that goes from your knee all the way to your ankle. If it goes towards the inside of your foot, you might be overpronating. Ideally, you would want the bone to go to your little toe or the toe next to it.

Guide for underpronation:

You can use the following methods to check at home if you have excessive supination, another word for underpronation, in your feet.

As with overpronation, you can check your shoes for where you experience the most wear. Normal wear on shoes goes from the outside edge of the heel towards the middle of the shoe. If instead, your shoe shows more wear on the outer edge of the sole, you might be a supinator.

The next step is again to take off your socks and look at your feet barefoot. But this time, we want you to wet your feet. Do so and with your full weight, step on a surface where you can easily see your footprint; you can also use brown or dark paper, or similar, to make it visible.

If about half of the arch shows, you most likely have normal pronation. If, on the other hand, very little or no sign of an arch is visible, you probably have underpronation.

Running shoes and overpronation

Those with overpronation in their feet will prefer shoes that have good cushioning and support to counteract excessive strain and prevent injuries. Our running shoes have been infused with excellent cushioning and provide the support your feet need if it turns out you overpronate. Check out our sneakers here!

Do you want to read more about shoes for work and hard surfaces? See our guide to work shoes.