Did you know over 70% of individuals overpronate at some point in their life? However, a very small fraction of individuals actually know that they’re walking incorrectly.
The remaining percentage who are aware of their gait problem seldom opts for any intervention to correct it. The result?
Ankles, knees, leg, and foot pain. In certain cases, hip and lower back pain.
Thankfully, treating overpronation is easy. Overpronation insoles are specifically designed to support your feet while walking, running, and performing other physical activities.
But before we start discussing the insoles, let’s understand what’s pronation and overpronation.
What Are Pronation And Overpronation?
Pronation can be defined as the way your foot naturally moves during movement, as your entire body weight gets distributed throughout its musculoskeletal structure.
Pronation is natural and is essential for walking, running, or any other physical activity. However, with overpronation, your feet roll extensively inwards and downwards.
Generally, you’ll overpronate if you’re having flat feet condition ( also known as fallen arches).
Your feet arches absorb shock from impactful movements, maintain complete body alignment and provide support to balance your body. Therefore when the arch isn’t structured correctly, you might not achieve proper balance during motion and are at increased risk of getting injured.
Why Do You Need To Use Adjustable Arch Support Insoles?
Since your feet aren’t touching the ground in the correct, natural way while walking or any other physical activity, you have an increased chance of developing:
- Heel spurs- calcium deposit resulting in a bony protrusion on the underside of your heel bone
- Shin splints- inflammation affecting bony tissues, and soft tissues (muscles, tendons, ligaments around your tibia)
- Corns, calluses, and hammertoes
- Plantar fasciitis- Plantar fasciitis is a painful condition when the thick band of tissue (plantar fascia) extending from the heel to your toes gets inflamed.
- Achilles tendonitis- Inflammation of your Achilles tendon
- Inflammation in the knee ligaments
- Bunions- painful bumps or swelling at the base of your big toe.
- Pain in the lower leg, heel, or lower back, generally due to small stress fractures
With adjustable arch support insoles, you can treat overpronation and reduce the risk of injury or inflammation.
What Causes Overpronation?
- In most cases, overpronation is caused due to congenital anomalies (may or may not be due to inheritance).
- You may also develop fallen arches during pregnancy.
- Obesity is a contributing factor in certain cases.
- Continuous involvement in activities that exerts extensive pressure on your feet can lead to flat feet.
How To Diagnose Overpronation?
Before you start searching for the best insoles for posture online, you’ll need to know if you overpronate.
The best and the easiest way to know is by taking a glance at the shoes you wear the most. If you notice extensive wear starting from the ball of your foot, continuing along the inner edge, and towards your big toe, there’s a high chance that you overpronate.
However, if you don’t feel confident about your observation, you can visit a podiatrist or doctor to get a confirmed diagnosis.
A confirmed diagnosis can be made through two ways- video gait analysis and 3D foot mapping.
- Video gait analysis– During this test, you’ll need to walk or run on a treadmill. Your doctor or podiatrist will take a video of your gait. The footage is then examined in slow-motion to determine overpronation.
- 3D foot mapping– For this test, you’ll be required to step on a special mat specifically designed with sensors. These sensors will record the necessary information (pressure distribution when your feet strike the ground, how your feet are positioned, etc.) and feed it to a software application. To determine overpronation, your doctor or podiatrist would examine the pressure of your step towards the arch of your foot.
How To Treat Overpronation?
You cannot change the inherent anatomy of your feet. However, you can support the anatomical structures of your feet. Overpronation insoles offer support to your arch and limit the impact of overpronation on your feet’ health and overall body alignment.
Various exercises such as calf stretches, Duck stand, and short food posture can prevent the symptoms of overpronation. Arch support insoles have been proven to be most effective.
How Adjustable Arch Support Insoles Can Correct Overpronation?
Insoles for overpronation are exclusively engineered to reduce postural aches and lower back pain typically resulting from overpronation.
You can insert these orthotics inside your shoes while walking, running, trekking, or doing other impactful physical activities. A certain tilt (generally 2 degrees) stabilizes and aligns your feet into their natural position, ultimately creating supportive shoes for your feet.
This additional cushioning gradually corrects the pressure distribution on your lower body and feet.
Conclusion
Your feet constitute the foundation of your lower body. Irregular pressure distribution throughout your feet doesn’t just lead to painful conditions on your feet, but it can also affect your hips, knees, and even spine if left untreated.
Start searching for the best insoles for posture online and treat your overpronation issue today!
