Feet are one of the most used and ignored parts of our body. The time has come to pay more attention to the most complicated mechanical structure. The foot is composed of 26 bones, 33 joints, and more than 100 muscles, tendons, and ligaments. All of these structures must work together in harmony to withstand the weight of the body when standing, walking, or running. A slight abnormal shift to this mechanical structure will create an imbalance of forces that will eventually lead to secondary problems.
What is Pronation?
This is a complex motion of the foot. The ankle bone turns inward and the rest of the foot turns up and out. It’s the opposite of supination, where the ankle bone turns outward and the rest of the foot turns inward. Pronation of the foot bone is important during walking and running. It slightly unlocks the bones and joints of the foot so that the foot can adapt to an uneven surface.
Checking Pronation
There are 2 ways to check the amount of pronation:
Range of motion testing without any weight on foot, the area behind the 4th and 5th toes is pushed up and outward. There should just be a little bit of motion (3 to 5 degrees).
When standing the lower leg should align with the foot.
The Walking or Gait Cycle
There are specific times when the foot must be in a locked-stable-supinated position in the walking cycle. The only time the foot should be in an unlocked-unstable-pronated position is right after the entire foot is touching the ground. Immediately, the foot needs to transition from the unlocked-pronated position to locked-supinated position so that the heel can lift and propel the foot forward for the next step.
What is Over-Pronation?
Over-pronation is the “common” name that means there is too-much pronation. It should really be called excessive-pronation or medically called hyperpronation, just like hypertension when someone’s blood pressure is excessive, too high. Over-pronation is not a life-threatening condition, yet it will severely affect someone’s quality of life and will eventually lead to all sorts of secondary problems to the feet, knees, hips, and back.
To learn even more about over-pronation read our FREE interactive flipbook.
