Are You Overpronating? Discover How to Relieve Pain from Your Feet to Your Back
02/24/2025|
Overpronation is a common condition that can lead to a wide range of injuries. Unlike its lesser-known counterpart, supination, overpronation is often easy to identify. However, finding the right treatment can be challenging due to the many available options. If you’ve noticed unusual wear on your shoes, persistent foot pain, or discomfort in your knees, hips, or back, overpronation might be the culprit.
Normal Pronation vs. Overpronation
Pronation is a normal and necessary part of your gait cycle, allowing your foot to roll inward just enough to adapt to uneven surfaces and absorb shock. This controlled inward roll reduces stress on your joints and helps with balance. However, excessive inward rolling—known as overpronation—can lead to a host of issues.
Overpronation occurs when your foot rolls inward excessively or continues to roll inward after your foot makes initial ground contact. This can result in:
- Flat feet or collapsing arches
- Uneven weight distribution and instability
- Added stress on muscles, tendons, and ligaments
- Misalignment affecting the knees, hips, and lower back
Over time, overpronation can cause or worsen many painful conditions, including:
- Heel pain
- Plantar fasciitis
- Achilles tendinitis
- Shin splints
- Knee pain
- Hip pain
- Lower back pain
How Do You Know If You’re Overpronating?
Overpronation is often easy to spot. Here are a few common signs to watch for:
- Flat feet or collapsed arches (though even people with higher arches can overpronate)
- Excessive wear on the inner edge of your shoes
- Pain in your arches or ankles after prolonged standing or walking
- Visible inward rolling of the ankles while walking (see image below)
To confirm overpronation and assess its severity, a biomechanical evaluation is typically required. This assessment not only identifies overpronation but also helps determine the most effective treatment based on your unique walking pattern.
Why Treating Overpronation Requires Precision
While over-the-counter insoles are widely available, they often provide only temporary relief or fail to address more severe cases. Effective treatment often requires custom orthotics, which are designed to meet your specific needs.
Custom orthotics can:
- Control excessive inward rolling of the foot and improve stability
- Provide the proper amount of arch support to stabilize flat or collapsing arches
- Reduce strain on muscles, tendons, and ligaments
- Improve joint alignment, often reducing pain in the knees, hips, and lower back
The treatment for overpronation isn’t one-size-fits-all. Different degrees of pronation require precise corrections that only a trained biomechanics expert can prescribe. Factors like arch height, the degree of inward roll, flexibility, and activity level must all be considered when designing an orthotic solution.
The Role of Custom Orthotics in Overpronation Treatment
Custom orthotics are uniquely effective because they address both the symptoms and root causes of overpronation:
- For mild cases: Orthotics with moderate arch support can prevent further collapse and improve comfort during daily activities.
- For moderate to severe cases: Advanced corrections, such as wedging in the heel and/or forefoot (support on the inner side of the foot), can limit excessive inward rolling while ensuring proper shock absorption.
