What is supination?
Supination in the foot normally occurs in the gait cycle when the foot returns to a stable position before kicking off. Excessive supination is associated with high arches and is a tendency for the foot to roll out…or not move inward enough (pronation) during the gait cycle. As your heel lifts off the ground and weight moves to the ball of your foot and toes to push your body forward, a natural amount of supination occurs. Oversupination can make you appear bow-legged.
The natural movement opposite to supination is called pronation. This occurs when the outer edge of the heel touches the ground and the foot rolls inward. If overpronation occurs while standing, the individual may appear knock-kneed. Pronation and supination are natural movements in your gait cycle, however, with overpronation or oversupination, foot problems often arise.
Excessive pronation is more common than excessive supination, but both problems need to be addressed. Too much supination causes a problem because the foot is less able to absorb shock. It also causes additional rotational force on the feet, shins, knees, and thighs, increasing stress on muscles, tendons, and ligaments.
What problems can excessive supination cause?
Supination puts extra pressure on the muscles and tendons that stabilize the ankle. This can lead to a number of foot problems that can include:
– Ankle sprains
– Ligament tears
– Arch Bread
– heel pain
– Knee pain
– hip bread
– Back pain
– Calluses and calluses
– Achilles tendinitis
– Shin pads
– Stress fractures
– Plantar fasciitis
– Metatarsalgia
– and more…
How do I know if I guessed too much?
To see if supination might be a problem for you, look at your feet while you’re standing to see if there’s a high arch on the inside of your foot that doesn’t move much toward the ground when you stand or walk. This is a clue. Also, look at your shoes. If your shoes are worn primarily on the outside of the sole, especially around the ball of the foot area, you may have excessive supination when walking.
Another method is to examine a wet print. If the area between the heel and the ball of the foot shows only a thin strip on the outside (little toe side) of the foot and you don’t see any tread in the arch area, supination may be occurring. A normal tread should have a strip about half the width of the foot. Pronated feet often fill the footprint through the arch.
Can I prevent or treat supinated feet?
Excessive supination (or pronation) is a biomechanical and alignment problem of the foot. A pedorthist or podiatrist can complete a gait evaluation and analysis to determine specific alignment and biomechanical issues and prescribe foot orthotics (arch supports) to help. Foot orthotics work to distribute your weight more evenly and to correct or accommodate abnormal foot posture. They are usually the best option for the treatment of feet in supination.
Your choice of footwear is also important when supination is an issue. You should look for shoes that match your foot type. A general rule of thumb is more stability for the pronators and more cushioning for the supinators, but reasonable shoe stability is still important. Make sure they are the right size and not too tight or too loose. Try on the shoes in the last half of the day because your feet swell a little as the day goes on and they will get a little bigger. Also try both feet, because one will be slightly larger than the other and should fit the larger one. Wear the socks you plan to wear when you wear your shoes. Feet with excessive supination usually have a high instep, so the laces are important to be able to adjust this area. Running shoes tend to be best for supinated feet to provide a good mix of cushioning and stability.
These are just a few measures that may be necessary to decrease the risk of injury due to supination. One of the best ways to deal with supination problems is to wear arch supports or foot orthotics designed for high arches or supination. These redistribute pressure away from the pressure points of supinated feet and provide better shock absorption. Custom foot orthoses are an option, but expensive. The best over-the-counter foot orthotic providers offer specific details for different conditions and different areas of pain.
