The Truth About Overpronation

How many times have you heard in the past, “Overpronation is bad” or “Use these shoes to help support your foot and limit your overpronation”? If you are like most runners, this is a common belief. The idea that we have to support our feet to limit the collapse of the arch is pervasive in the running world. 

When we run, we want to propel ourselves forward and the belief has often been that the foot should act like a “rigid lever” to propel us forward. This belief has included always having our arch present on the inside of the foot and not letting that arch collapse. 

However, we are beginning to learn that overpronation while running and while standing is not necessarily a bad thing. Especially when there is no pain present in the foot, overpronation is not something we need to fear. Behling et al states:

“...foot pronation is a naturally occurring foot movement and cannot be linked consistently to injuries.” 

So if this movement, is “natural,” why should we protect against it and limit this movement? Shouldn’t we want to encourage “natural” and normal movement of the foot? The short answer is yes!

The foot itself consists of 26 bones and 29 different muscles that help to control the foot. With so many bones, joints, and muscles, it does not necessarily make sense that the foot should be “rigid.” Joints and muscles provide movement, and pronation is an essential movement of the foot. 

Ultimately, new insights have discovered flaws in previous research about the foot that determined it should be “rigid.” This research shows the foot moves more than we originally thought to enhance the biomechanics of the foot.  Behling et al states: 

“...people with greater foot pronation and flatter feet actually stored and returned more energy via this spring-like function.”

Perhaps pronation allows the foot to act more like a spring during the act of running and walking to absorb and then quickly release force to propel us forward. If this is the case, then this will likely be a movement that we want to ensure happens. Adding a “support,” whether it be a shoe with special support or an insole, may end up blocking this important function and result in a change in our biomechanics. 

The responsibility to absorb and release this force involves the eccentric (or lengthening) activation of the muscles followed by the quick, concentric (or shortening) contraction of the muscles. We must learn to strengthen the muscles that sit around and deep within our foot to allow those muscles to be resilient to these forces and allow efficient activation and propulsion. 

If we provide too much support for these muscles, they will not be needed and as a result, will weaken and atrophy. Imagine having to keep your arm in a cast. The cast will support your arm and your muscles will not be required to work. As a result, when the cast comes off, the muscles will have shrunk and be very weak. Once we begin to utilize these muscles again, they will strengthen again. 

How do we strengthen these muscles? There are several different strategies and exercises that can be utilized. We will delve into those in our next blog and YouTube video. For now, it is essential to become familiar with the existence and the purpose of these muscles. 

Much more research needs to be completed to totally discover the full biomechanics of the foot. However, as a running community, it is important to learn that overpronation is not as bad as it is often made out to be. Our bodies, including our feet, are very resilient and are designed to move, so it is important for us to realize the normalcy of the movement.

References:

Behling AV, Rainbow MJ, Welte L, Kelly L. Chasing footprints in time - reframing our understanding of human foot function in the context of current evidence and emerging insights. Biol. Rev. 2023. doi: 10.1111/brv.12999