Pronation: Over, Neutral and Under

So What is Pronation?

Supination/UnderPronation

When you are walking your foot has a natural roll from the heel through the arch to the toes.  In the area between the heel and the arch your heel bone can angle inward causing the arch to collapse. This flattens the arch as the foot hits the ground so that the shock can be absorbed when the heel strikes down. This flattening out assists in balancing the stride.

The process of the way your foot stays in line or not is called Pronation.

There are three types of pronation depending on the angle of the heel bone to the arch of the foot: overpronation, neutral pronation and supination/underpronation

When the foot rolls inward too much this is called Overpronation.

Over Pronation

OverPronation

When the axis of the of foot stays in line with the lower leg and is centered, you have Neutral Pronation.

Neutral Pronation

Neutral Pronation

When the foot rolls on the outward side of the roll motion, then you have Supination also called Underpronation.

Supination/UnderPronation

UnderPronation

You want to figure out what your pronation is before you buy a pair of walking shoes to make sure you get the right design to fit the roll of your stride.

About Claude Pelanne

I was a runner for many years and then got plantar faciatis. I didn't want to stop my activity so when I got well enough started walking...with speed. I found I enjoyed that as much so I have been walking a 4-5 mile circuit every day I can.