How Can Insoles Help Overpronation?
When the body is in perfect alignment, you will find that everything matches up and feels good for you. But when something starts to go wrong, you will notice that it can be bad for the whole body. Our feet are our foundation, the things that carry us through the day and make sure that we are safe and secure as much as possible and we want to treat them well.
A simple problem that starts in the feet can be enough to ruin the alignment of everything, making all the joints work too hard to support themselves and allowing pain and discomfort as well. One of the conditions that can happen in the feet over time is overpronation.
Let’s look more at the issue of overpronation and discover whether insoles are a good solution to help.
What is Overpronation?
Many individuals are not going to put a lot of thought into the way the foot hits the ground when they run or walk. It is something that you do automatically, without having to think about it because it is a simple motion you have been doing since you were young and you complete it many times throughout the day.
However, you should note that the way you step is going to matter for your health, whether you stand all day, participate in sports and running, or not. There are many issues that can happen to the foot if you are not careful with it, and one of these issues that you need to consider fixing as soon as possible is overpronation.
Overpronation means that the foot will start to roll inward as you move. If you overpronate, it means that the outer part of the heel will end up hitting the ground first with each step. Your foot will then roll into the arch. Since pronation is all about the flattening of the feet, overpronation means that you will overly flatten your feet.
Overpronation can be hard on the feet. It will cause the pressure and shock of each step to be concentrated on one area of the foot, rather than spread out and distributed well. This can cause a lot of strain on the ligaments, tendons, muscles, and more. Your arch can also flatten at the same time.
The longer the overpronation is there, the more likely it is that you will develop certain injuries in the foot and lower body. These can include:
- Plantar fasciitis
- Heel spurs
- Achilles tendonitis
- Shin splints
- Ankle sprains
Over time, you will find that your overpronation is going to get worse and it can cause a lot of pain in the feet and lower body. If you do not take care of the feet and look into insoles and treatments for overpronation, it can start to affect some of your mobility.
How Can I Tell If I Overpronate?
The next thing that we can consider is how to tell if you are over-pronation when you walk around or not. The best way to tell this is to take a look at the bottom of your shoes and see where the signs of wear and tear are. This wear and tear should be evenly distributed along the bottom of your shoe. But if you overpronate, you will see this by the big toe and ball of the foot.
If you place the shoe on a flat surface, you may notice that they tend to tilt inward a bit. This is a sign to look for as well when it comes to overpronation. You can then look at your bare feet. If you have an issue with flat feet or low arches, this is another sign of a problem.
You may also notice some symptoms of overpronation when it is a severe option for you. some of the symptoms of this condition include:
- Pain in the arches or the heel
- Flat feet
- Hammer’s toes
- Knee, back pain, or hip pain
- Calluses or corns on the feet
And finally, you can take a look at your shins. You should try to follow the line of the bone from the knees down to the ankle. If you notice the line goes to the inside part of the foot, then you are going to be overpronating because you want this line to go to the second or the first toe.
Can Insoles Help Overpronation?
One of the solutions that you can choose to help with your overpronation issue is to pick out a good insole. These can be put into the shoes you will wear the most often, providing you with some good alignment help along the way.
Insoles are going to help you correct the issue of overpronation because they can limit how much your feet and ankles are going to roll inward. Supporting your feet from the bottom up and making sure that you redistribute the pressure across the whole foot, rather than on just one side of the heel can help reduce the amount of strain placed on the ankles.
Insoles are also a good option for you to choose because they will help promote the neutral alignment of the ankle. This is important because it will ensure that the weight transfer through the ankle to the ground will remain as efficient as possible. This is important if you would like to prevent some pain throughout the body.
What to Look for in an Overpronation Insole
You need to make sure that you are choosing the right insole to help solve issues of overpronation. There are many insoles out there, but not all of them are perfect for overpronation. Ideally, you can go with a pair of custom orthotics that are custom fitted to your foot structure and size.
When you choose a new insole for your feet, you need to go with ones that have a metatarsal bar, heel wedge, and arch support. The arch support needs to be built into the insole to make sure that the foot arch is going to be supported. The heel wedge will have some additional thickness to make sure the heel will not move around.
And finally, the metatarsal bar will relieve the pressure on the toes as well. With all of these features in place, you can prevent deformity, prevent complications, and limit any potential misalignment that happens in the foot.
Choosing the Best Overpronation Insoles
When you are dealing with the condition of overpronation, it is important to find the right medical devices that will solve the problem and prevent injuries in the future. There are different treatments available, but a pair of high-quality insoles could be an effective and quick solution that provides you with some of the relief that you are looking for.
For those who are suffering from severe overpronation and who would like to see if custom orthotics will be the right solution for them, take the time to schedule an appointment with our team of professionals. We can take a look at your foot issues and provide solutions to treat them, getting your body back in alignment and preventing pain and injuries in the future.