Over 70% of the population are thought to suffer from overpronation – but very few are aware they are walking incorrectly, and even fewer are taking action to prevent their unusual gait from causing pain in their feet, ankles, knees, hips and lower back.
OrthoSole insoles can be used to correct misalignment from overpronating and deliver unrivalled support to the areas of your feet that need it the most.
What is overpronation?
Pronation refers to the way that your foot moves from side to side during movement, as your weight is distributed throughout its structure.
Everybody pronates to a degree. It’s part of your natural gait cycle. But if you are overpronating, this means that your feet are rolling too far inwards and downwards.
You are most likely to overpronate if you have flat feet, aka fallen arches. The arches in your feet are responsible for absorbing shock from impact and aligning your feet and ankles with the rest of your body correctly; so if your arches are non-existent, or are collapsing on impact, they will not be achieving either of these things.
Because your feet are not striking the ground in a balanced way, overpronation will leave you at an increased risk of developing:
- Shin splints
- Plantar fasciitis
- Heel spurs
- Achilles tendonitis
- Bunions
- Corns, calluses and hammertoes
- Inflammation in the knee ligaments
- Pain in the heel, lower leg or lower back, often caused by small stress fractures
Some people are born with flat feet, while others develop fallen arches due to being pregnant, being overweight or repeatedly taking part in activities that place lots of pressure on the feet (such as running on hard surfaces).
should a concern or difficulty arise.
How do you know if you are overpronating?
The best way to know for sure is to take a look at your favourite pair of shoes. If there’s excessive wear from the ball of the foot, along the inner edge and towards the big toe, you can confidently assume you are an overpronator. A doctor or podiatrist will also be able to tell you whether you have irregular pronation.
If the outside of your shoe is more worn than the inside, you may have the opposite problem: you may be supinating. You can learn more about supination and what it means for your feet and your wider musculoskeletal system here
What can you do to limit excessive overpronation?
You can’t help the way you walk – but you can take action to limit the impact that overpronation will have on your foot health and your body’s alignment.
Certain exercises, including calf stretches, will go some way to correcting overpronation. Maintaining a healthy weight will also help to reduce the amount of pressure being placed on the feet. But in our experience, wearing quality orthotic insoles is by far the most effective way to correct excessive pronation over time.
How can insoles help to correct excessive rolling?
Orthotic insoles for overpronation deliver increased support to the arches of the feet. The extra cushioning absorbs more impact from walking and running, and encourages better foot stability to minimise strains, fractures and other stress injuries.
Orthotic insoles from OrthoSole
We’ve developed a fantastic range of insoles for overpronation that can be customised according to your precise needs. Each pair comes with a set of insertable pads in varying thicknesses that can be adjusted to suit your biomechanics.
Our Max Cushion insoles are by far our most popular products, but our Thin Style and Light Style inserts also offer incredible support that works discreetly and effortlessly in all kinds of footwear. You can learn more about the differences between our orthotic insoles for overpronation here.
