What Is Overpronation?
Overpronation is one of the most common foot issues. When you walk, your foot naturally rolls
inward or pronates. If it rolls too far inward, then it is considered overpronation. This
overpronation is not how the body is designed to work, so people with overpronation can
experience pain in their feet, ankles, knees, hips, and back.
How Can I Tell if I Overpronate?
One of the biggest signs of overpronation is actually uneven wear on your shoes. If you notice
that the inside edges of your shoes wear more quickly than the outside edges, you are probably
rolling to the inside when you walk. You may also experience foot pain, ankle pain, corns or
calluses, hammer toes, knee pain, hip pain, and back pain. In addition, you may be able to
visibly determine that your feet are flat.
What Causes Overpronation?
While anyone can overpronate, flat feet tend to be the culprit. You might be born with flat feet or
your arches might fall because of stressors on them. The major stressor is weight gain; people
with obesity are more likely to experience flat feet and pregnancy can cause flat feet, as well.
Some types of arthritis can lead to flat feet. Usually, the process is gradual, but sometimes it
can occur very quickly.
Can I Fix Overpronation?
It depends on what you mean by fix. You cannot walk differently to correct for overpronation;
the problem is structural rather than functional. Unlike some other foot problems, you cannot
easily get a surgical correction to restore your arches. However, custom arches like the ones
we create at Arcus Custom Orthotics can correct for the inward roll of your foot, fixing the
structural issues as long as you are in shoes, which results in functional improvements and pain
reduction. You can also do different types of physical therapy that can help strengthen and
stretch the muscles in your legs and feet.
Getting Help for Overpronation
For many people, the first step to getting help for overpronating is to the podiatrist or the
orthopedist. These professionals can diagnose your problem and outline a treatment plan.
They can also be prohibitively expensive. At Arcus Custom Orthotics, we offer you the same
benefits, but without the hassle and expense of appointments with specialists. We send you a
foot mold, which you use and then send back to us. Using the mold, we can create custom
orthotics designed to fix your foot problem, whatever it is.
