The overpronation epidemic is here to stay.
There are more and more people every day who complain of foot pain due to a fallen arch, especially athletes.
If you are one of these athletes, who believes they have an overpronation issue and have made up your mind about purchasing insoles, I would ask you to read this blog first.
What Is Pronation?
Pronation is the foot’s motion of rolling inwards during your gait cycle, or simply put, your walking/ running motion.
Contrary to popular belief, this is the body’s feature to distribute load more efficiently across the foot to prevent high accumulation of impulse at your joints, like the ankles or the knees.
Even elite athletes pronate their feet quite a lot when they are on the track. It is completely natural to do so.
I Have Flat Feet, Don’t I Need To Be Careful?
The arch muscle is primarily Adductor Hallucis that runs from the big toe to the heel.
Some people are born with flat feet, which means that this muscle lies flat on the ground, while others over time end up losing strength in this muscle to hold the foot up in an arch, causing an adult- acquired flat foot.
In both these cases, there is less room for the muscle to lengthen further on impact, and the chances of injuries increase, but this does not mean all hope is lost, and you should either give up on your sport or get shoes “specific” to your needs.
Pain occurs when your muscle is pushed beyond its limit. By training the foot muscles you can ensure you never have to worry about pronation.
Should I Get Insoles To Be Safe?
Insoles are molds of plastic and rubber that go under your foot to maintain the “natural” structure of your muscles.
They are promoted to absorb impact and ensure your arch stays how it is.
Unfortunately, they don’t.
Research shows that shoes with a specific arch are likely to injure you far more than a shoe with no support at all.
As soon as you wedge an insole under your feet, you take away room for your foot to stretch and your muscles to lengthen on impact. The entire impact now has to be absorbed in the same length and the impulse of the impact increases.
Who Actually Needs Insoles
In our opinion, only people who are in medical care, recovering from an injury should wear insoles during their recovery to keep themselves safe from unwanted stress.
Insoles are like casts. They are good temporarily while you recover, but if you wear them continuously, your muscles get weak and your chances of re-injuring yourself increase.
Conclusion
What we would suggest is to work on strengthening your muscles and work on your mobility to prevent injuries and run pain free.
We have created a free guide that can help you on this journey.
Also barefoot shoes are a great way to work on your natural gait cycle throughout the day as you walk, run and move. They help you strengthen your muscles with each step as well.
Stay safe out there.