Foot pronation.Do you take enough care of your feet? it is essential that you doFoot pronation is one expression that you will get to hear when you go to a specialist shoe/boot supplier. Whether it be over pronation or under pronation i think that we should look at what it is and what we can do about it.
Pronation is an anatomical term to describe a rotation movement. Foot pronation will cause the sole of the foot to face more laterally than when standing in the anatomical position.(a straight position ) The pronated foot is one in which the heel bone angles inward and the arch tends to collapse.
If habits develop, this action can lead to foot pain as well as knee pain, shin splints, Achilles tendinitis and plantar fasciitis Excess/ Over Foot Pronation One of the most common causes of foot and leg discomfort is a condition known as excessive/ over Foot pronation. Normal pronation, or "turning inward" of the foot is necessary as the foot adapts to the ground. With excessive pronation/ over pronation, the arch flattens, collapses, and soft tissues stretch. This causes the joint surfaces to function at unnatural angles to each other. When this happens, joints that should be stable now become very loose and flexible. At first, Foot pronation may cause fatigue. As the problem gets worse, strain on the muscles, tendons, and ligaments of the foot and lower leg can cause permanent problems and deformities. The foot is a very clever and complex piece of machinery and consists of 26 bones, 33 joints, 107 ligaments, 19 muscles and tendons. The 52 bones in your feet make up about 25 percent of all the bones in your body As the total number of the bones of the feet add up to a quarter of the total number of bones in the whole body is it any wonder that if the feet are pronating or out of balance in any way that they can have such a major impact on the rest of the body During your lifetime you will walk, on average, 115,000 miles (185,000 km) and with every step that you take one and a half times your entire body weight is transferred onto each foot up to 15,000 times a day. With all of this pressure is it any wonder that if your feet and legs are not working or aligned properly other parts of your body will cry out for help? Bunions on the toe might be one indication of a foot pronating but do check that the shoes are fitting properly and that the feet are not slipping around inside the shoe. Indicative of the shoes being too large.
So what can be done to correct this foot pronation imbalance? Is there anything that can prevent pain and discomfort? Well yes there is. Enter the foot orthotics. If you consider sitting at a wobbly table it would not be long before you would seek a solution. Very soon you would put a beer mat, napkin, stone or what ever you could find to correct the imbalance. And the same goes for the feet. If you have back problems and the cause stems from the feet pronating no amount of manipulation of the spine will result in a cure. However like the wobbly table if you correct the feet then it should follow that relief will be felt in the back. So fix the problem at the foot. Foot orthotics are specifically designed shoe inserts that help to restore the natural balance preventing damaging compensation in other parts of the body from the back down to the hips, knees, shins, ankles foot and toes whether the pain be in the joint, muscles or ligaments However when analysing the feet it is important to address other factors that may be contributing such as muscle tightness, joint flexibility and reduced proprioception and this is where a biomechanical specialist becomes necessary. Shoe/boot insert can be purchased over the counter but these should not be confused with purpose made orthotics. These non-prescriptive orthotics may give some relief in the short time but long term may well cause more damage then they were initially intended to relief as they do not properly control the foot pronating. Old fashion methods of making orthotics relied on plaster or foam casts or even photo or laser scans to get an impression of the feet. Unfortunately, these casts or scans recorded only the shape of the foot in a static position and did not measure or show the foot in a dynamic situation showing how the foot pronates and people do not develop foot problems, generally, when static.> It is impossible to measure accurately any foot abnormality from these methods so, Enter the 21st century computer The secret to making successful orthotics is to take accurate measurements whilst you walk and this can be done by simply walking on a specific mat. Walking across a special mat that has lots of sensors connected to a computer and recording a video at the same time is it possible to get a very accurate picture displayed on the computer screen showing the exact way your foot reacts as you walk across the mat. This indicates which part of the foot hits the ground and when, as the foot rolls from heel contact through to the ending lift off at the toes. It detects if the inside or outside of the foot comes into, or not, as it rolls giving an accurate report of foot pronation and how the body weight is distributed with each step. This information is analysed by the computer to produce a 2D and 3D graphic image of you feet. This information is the transferred from the computer to an orthotic manufacturer where sophisticated diagnostic software prepares a comprehensive and detailed gait analysis report. If you then wish to proceed with the recommended orthotics that same information is sent to a the manufacturing plant and in less that a month a pair of slim-line inserts for your shoes will be with you. It is a worrying fact that at some time in their lives 75% of the population will suffer from back pain and yet even though the pain may or may not also manifest in the hips, shins, legs, ankles, foot and toes only 2% will ask their doctor about it being related to their feet.
1. When standing, your heels lean inward. 2. When standing, one or both of your knee caps turn inward. 3. Conditions such as a flat feet or bunions may occur. 4. You develop knee pain when you are active or involved in athletics. The knee pain slowly goes away when you rest. 5. You abnormally wear out the soles and heels of your shoes very quickly.
SYMPTOMS OF EXCESS FOOT PRONATION. Symptoms can manifest in many different ways. The associated conditions depend on the individual lifestyle of each patient. Here is a list of some of the conditions associated with Excess Pronation: 1. Bunions 2. Stiff 1st toe 3. Arch Pain 4. Heel Pain 5. Ball of the foot pain 6. Ankle Sprains 7. Shin Splints 8. Achilles Tendonitis 9. Knee Pain 12. Hammer Toes So to avoid all of these problems of foot pronation when you go for fitting of new shoes or boots please do go to the experts. They will be able to look at your feet, observe how you stand and walk and examine the structure and be able to advise you on the correct fitting for you. They may suggest that you will benefit from having inserts to correct any imbalance or even as was the case for me, refuse to sell me anything but rather tell me to go to see a podiatrist and have purpose made inserts. So, as you can see. Feet looked after and tended with care will allow you moving comfort. Whether you walk, run or skip, properly fitted shoes will more than pay for any extra cost that may be incurred. And always remember that any problem with the feet that is not corrected will ultimately manifest in damage further up the skeletal system in either knee, thigh or hip damage.
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A "knock-kneed" person has feet that are overly pronated. This flattens the arch as the foot strikes the ground in order to absorb shock when the heel hits the ground, and to assist in balance during mid-stance. 
