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The first step to fixing your running pronation is to identify the underlying causes of it such as ankle instability, and address them!
Sometimes, you will be surprised by the fact that the main cause of your foot pronation after landing is the running shoes!
Foot pronation, or overpronation, is an excessive inward roll of the foot while standing, walking, or running.
Running pronation is the opposite of running supination, which is an excessive roll outward of the foot.
Foot pronation while standing causes an ankle condition called Valgus Ankle and, for this reason, we can call it Valgus Foot too.
The best diagnostic for foot pronation while standing is through a 3D foot scan with a video camera system.
This system will allow us to identify foot pronation, Valgus Ankle, and eventually flat foot which very often is associated with them. Â
As shown in the image below, the foot pronation ( Valgus foot ) is characterised by a misalignment of the Calcaneus’ axis and Tibia’s axis.
The most important causes of foot pronation or valgus foot are:
If the foot’s supinator muscles are weak they will be not able to maintain the arch of the foot and aid in the inward rolling (inversion) necessary for supination.
The primary foot’s supinator muscles are:
Weakness of the foot’s supinator muscles is the cause of a flat foot because as described above they are not able to maintain the arch of the foot.
Weak ligaments can be a cause of foot pronation because if they are weak, they are not able to sustain the ankle joint medially.
More specifically the ligament responsible for foot pronation is the Deltoid Ligament (Ligamentum Deltoideum or Ligamentum Collaterale Mediale ).
It consists of four distinct parts, which connect the tibia to various bones in the foot and provide stability to the ankle joint.
The four parts of the Deltoid Ligament are:
Foot running pronation can be identified with an own made running analysis system, or with a more advanced gait scanning system for running analysis.
With a simple camera positioned on the back of a treadmill, you could record your running strike and check approximately if you are affected by running foot pronation or supination.
If you get a more thorough running assessment with a 3D foot pressure map, you will get dozens of analytical data about your running parameters and the forces that the ground has on your feet.
This type of high-tech gait analysis system will provide you with a 3D foot scan of every single step of your running revealing the peak of forces generated from the interaction of your feet with the ground.
These peaks of forces acting on your foot will be the main cause of possible ankle injury.
In our sports injury clinic in London, thanks to our advanced gait analysis system, we have been assessing many foot pronation both during running and body posture analysis.
The image below shows a patient with foot pronation where the 3D foot scan indicates a peak of forces acting on the left heel and right first metatarsal. The red lines show how the calcaneus’ axis is inclined medially on the inner foot.
The peak of forces evidenced on the left heel and right Hallux can be the causes of future Achilles or Calcaneus injury, and the development of Hallux Valgus.
This patient has a Valgus knee as this knee condition quite often is associated with foot pronation.
The images below show running foot pronation due to ankle instability after the landing of the foot.
The peak of forces in this case are acting on the medial foot as shown from the 3D foot scan in the picture.
The running foot pronation is characterised by the misalignment of Calcaneus’ axis and Tibia’s axis as shown always in the picture below.
This runner has an excessive external foot rotation associated with foot pronation as this condition increases the forces acting on the outer ankle, facilitating the misalignment of Calcaneus’ axis and Tibia’s axis.Â
the first step to reduce running pronation and increase ankle stability is a foot’s supinator muscles strengthening program.
In fact, to fix running pronation we have to act on its most common cause such as weak foot’s supinator muscles, which create ankle instability!
As evidenced above, ankle instability can be caused by weak ligaments too, but as we cannot modify their structure, we have to act by strengthening the muscles which support and stabilize the ankle biomechanics.Â
The foot’s supinator muscles are located both on the front and back of the lower leg and are:
The foot’s Supinator Muscles on the shin:
The foot’s Supinator Muscles on the Back Leg:
Physiotherapy strengthening exercises to reduce flat feet can also improve ankle stability, so they are advisable to reduce running overpronation.
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Anti-pronation running shoes can help partially to fix running pronation but verify their effectiveness with the help of a running specialist who performs a 3D running foot scan.
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