Running often allows you to notice things about your feet you might not have been aware of before. One of such things can be a tendency for supination.

Supination occurs when you unconsciously put more weight onto your feet’s outer edges rather than on the balls of the feet. Supination is also referred to as underpronation.

Feet hold the weight of your entire body – even more so when running. That’s why if something is even slightly wrong with how your feet work, then it can throw off balance your hips and upper body as well. It can cause problems such as ankle strains, sole inflammation, calluses. Supination has also been linked to Achilles tendon injuries.

Supination causes

Supination can be either genetic or acquired. If you have a history of supination in your family take extra care to watch out for any foot pain. People with high arches often suffer from supination. Wearing too-tight shoes or recovering from a previous leg injury can also lead to supination.

Running with supination

You can still run even if you are supinating. The first thing you should do is buy special running shoes. Get your best running shoes for supination here. These shoes should have extra soft cushioning to impact the weight you put on your soles and allow for more breathing room in the toe area.

You should try and identify the cause of supination. Take a look at your other pairs of shoes and see if any of them might have contributed to your ailment. Checking the shoe wear pattern can also tell you more about which parts of your shoes bear the brunt of your weight. If there is more wear on the outside of your shoes then that would suggest you put more stress there.

Custom-made insoles are always a good idea, even if you think your problem is not so severe. Anyone would benefit from such insoles because they are made to treat your individual feet problems. Also, consider doing extra exercises for your lower legs so strengthen them and loosen the tendons. Do so with a help of a trained specialist because overworking your legs can also lead to an injury. Remember to stretch before each run.

If you can’t seem to relieve supination pain on your own then definitely ask a podiatrist for help. They will be able to best judge what exactly is wrong with your feet and determine if the cause of your problems is really supination. A thorough gait analysis will be helpful when deciding on treatment.

Supination is a common problem that can be dealt with rather easily as long as you take the right corrective measures. If you don’t feel any pain yet but think that you might have a tendency to supinate then definitely get a good and cushy pair of shoes for running. Remember that few exercises are as good for your overall well-being so don’t give up too easily. Many runners have overcome supination successfully and you can too.