Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with pronation

My feetsies are weird.

stray — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 00:08:28 -0800

How can I fix my over-pronation? Someone pointed out to me today that my ankles sag inwards. After looking this up on the internet, looks like I over pronate, and will suffer horrible crippling deformaties in my legs and back as a result, or something.

How do I fix this? If I consciously try to walk more evenly on my feet, with more weight on the outward edge, will they get better? I already do yoga and stretch, but I'm probably not focusing on my legs/feet the way I ought to.

I'm not sure that I can afford to buy orthotics at the moment--are they really the only way to deal with this?

Also, I've seen the exercises in this thread . Frankly, it makes me nervous. Do I have to do all that to fix this?

Blue Shoe (inserts)... don't know the name.

djpyk — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 17:31:29 -0800

I used to own blue shoe inserts for over pronation... except they weren't labeled. Any clue to what they might be called or where to buy them? Any alternate suggestions from fellow flat footers rollin' inwards? The doctor gave them to me originally, but mentioned they were available from specialty stores (probably around 6 years ago). My google-fu found them ~ 3 years ago, but the -fu is coming up short now, and I of course did not bookmark the site that had them... who does that! I also threw out the old ones since they were sweaty, stinky and gross (but oh so comfortable...).

Quick description
Blue (not navy blue) cloth top
Red foamy type bottom, tilted in the correct direction for overpronators.

They weren't custom, and were priced around $50-$60/pair from what I remember. And they weren't Dr. Scholl's ____, although I have never tried Dr. Scholl's.

I do own a pair of custom inserts molded to my foot, but they're a "slick" top vs. a cloth top, so my feet slide around. The aforementioned inserts were a bit more cushy, and wore out much more quickly, as to be expected.

Give me feet of steel.

middleclasstool — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 06:42:23 -0800

Resources for exercises for my feet, arches, ankles, and lower legs? I'm a distance runner -- or, more accurately, was one until after my first marathon, when IT Band Syndrome finally caught up with me. I've done physical therapy but will have to go back to the doc's for more treatment. Right now I can't do more than three miles for fear of making things worse.

I'm told the ITBS is likely a result of my overpronation, which I'd like to correct. Inspired by this post, I ran a mile barefoot on the treadmill last night, then spent the rest of the evening walking around barefoot and paying careful attention to feedback from my feet, and learned more about my gait from that than six months of running prior. I found myself working muscles in my feet and lower legs that I didn't even know I had. It was, in short, awesome, and has encouraged me that maybe I can build up muscles to help at least partially correct my gait so maybe I can ultimately transition to a lighter-weight shoe.

Thing is, I'm not finding many resources for strengthening exercises that target ankles, shin muscles and feet for overpronaters, so I turn to you for help. Resources need not be online. Books are good too, though I'd prefer not to kill trees. Give me feet of steel, people.

And yes, I will check with the doctor, but it'll be a bit before I can get in to see her.

When did laces become lacing systems?

otherwordlyglow — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 15:39:02 -0800

Will the Saucony Grid Omni 5 Ultimates that I just bought ruin my feet? I am not a runner. I go to a gym about 2 or 3 times a week and do cardio machines and take some classes. Athletic shoes have become ridiculously complicated and when I went to the local sporting good store (Sports Basement in San Francisco), I was a bit overwhelmed and ended up buying a pair of Saucony Grid Omni 5 Ultimates (women's). Not because I need them for running but they seemed comfortable and they were a good buy. I think I paid something like $30 for them as a clearance.

So now I've come home and looked around and see that all this talk about Neutral shoes and shoes for Over-pronation actually means something! These shoes seem to be be targeted to those who over-pronate. So I checked out my feet and the wear on my shoes and if anything, I'd say that I suffer from supination, seeing as the outside edge of the heel on almost all my shoes is worn out. Will these shoes enhance my experience? Will they cause problems? Is it no big deal since I don't really run? I've worn them twice now at the gym and nothing seems amiss but I guess I'm worried that I'm doing some sort of long term damage to my feet.

If it matters at all, I do suffer from knee pain occasionally.

My feet stick out. Help me fix them.

soulbarn — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 19:26:26 -0800

I need to fix my feet. For as long I can remember, my feet have stuck out (supination.) I have super-high arches - you can barely see the inside portion of my feet on a foot print. I find it nearly impossible to hold my feet together parallel and flat (inner heel to inner heel, big toe to big toe) - they rotate upward and outward, instead. If I manage to get my feet in something close to that position, my toes get goofy, pointing in multiple directions. I want to learn how to straighten my (bare) feet when walking and hold them together, flat, the way I described...

Is it possible for you to over-pronate more over time?

GuyZero — Tue, 29 Aug 2006 15:10:56 -0800

Is it possible for you to over-pronate more over time? So, I've only been running for a few years. At the beginning, I don't think I over-pronated at all. But lately it seems that I can't run much without irritating my hips and it feels/looks like I'm over-pronating. Nothing I've read indicates that this can change over time, but it doesn't say that it can't happen either. Anyone have experiences with their foot alignment/pronation changing over time?