16/03/2022
Hey!
Hope your week is going on well?
The main condition we are going to concentrate on in this topic is pronation but we will talk on supination a bit also. These two terms refer to a foots natural rolling movement while walking or running.
What is Pronation?
Pronation refers to the inward roll of the foot during normal motion and occurs as the outer edge of the heel strikes the ground and the foot rolls inward and flattens out. A moderate amount of pronation is required for the foot to function properly, however damage and injury can occur during excessive pronation. When excessive pronation does occur the foot arch flattens out and stretches the muscles, tendons and ligaments underneath the foot.
What is Supination?
Supination is the opposite of pronation and refers to the outward roll of the foot during normal motion. A natural amount of supination occurs during the push-off phase of the running gait as the heel lifts off the ground and the forefoot and toes are used to propel the body forward. However, excessive supination (outward rolling) places a large strain on the muscles and tendons that stabilize the ankle, and can lead to the ankle rolling completely over, resulting in an ankle sprain or total ligament rupture.
What exactly is over-pronation?
Over-pronation occurs when we pronate too deep and for too long, not giving the foot a chance to 'recover' and supinate. The foot stays flexible at all times. Over-pronators use a lot more energy when walking. Worse, over-pronation causes an imbalance throughtout the entire body, putting excessive strain on the feet, legs, knees and lower back.
Other terms for over-pronation are 'fallen arches', 'dropped arches' or 'collapsed arches'. The term 'flat feet' is also often used. However, a true 'flat foot' is very rare. In fact, less than 5% of the population have completely flat feet (Pes Planus) with no arch present whatsoever. Most of us (90%) have a normal to low arch and only 5% have a high arch. People with a high arch (Pes Cavus) are also called 'over-supinators'. This means that the foot stays rigid at all times and lacks its natural shock-absorbing mechanism.
It's important to appreciate that you don't have to be flat-footed to suffer from over-pronation! In fact, the vast majority of people with a 'normal- to-low arch' suffer from over-pronation. Interestingly, the arches may appear quite normal when sitting (or even standing up-right), but when we start to walk the problem of over-pronation becomes evident...with every step we take the arches collapse and the ankles roll inwards.
We will be continuing from here next time,and we be looking at how we can fix overpronation.Until then,keep walking tall.
Image credit:https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Pronation-and-Supination_fig1_277296302