The Best Overpronation Treatments

Pronation is normal; it is a movement where your foot transfers weight from the heel's bone to the foot's ball. Conversely, overpronation causes concern, but the good news is that it can be corrected with the right course of action.

In this article, we'll outline the best overpronation treatments and how they can help relieve pain and other symptoms of this foot condition.

What Is Overpronation?

Overpronation is a foot condition where the arches of the foot roll downward or inward when walking, running, or even standing. In overpronation, the foot hits the outside of the heel, rolling inward.

This movement ultimately diverts the body's weight from the ball of the foot to the inner edge. Overpronation is often caused by your walking or running gait, causing your foot arches to flatten more than usual.

Due to the weight on the inner edge of the foot, the muscles, tendons, and ligaments supporting your arches are strained. As a result, there is an increased risk of injuring the foot or leg as the foot becomes looser and the arches start to collapse.

Choose the Right Footwear

One of the most effective ways to correct overpronation is by wearing supportive footwear, especially one that supports your arches. Arch-supporting footwear will prevent your ankle from rolling downward while ensuring the foot stays in a neutral position.

Furthermore, adequate arch support helps to cushion your feet and promote proper foot and body alignment.

In addition, when choosing footwear to correct overpronation, ensure adequate stability to keep the body from over-correcting. When the feet are unstable, the body will try to make do by putting weight on areas that cannot handle the pressure.

So, look for overpronation stability shoes with a firm midsole motion control system and perhaps even ankle braces. Furthermore, ensure the shoes have specialised cushioning technology with soft, springy, but stable foam.

In addition, when looking for overpronation footwear, ensure you choose shoes that offer only a little flexibility. Flexibility can be good, but too much of it in an overpronated foot will only exacerbate the condition.

Your feet need to stay secure in whatever overpronated footwear you choose. Additionally, ensure the shoes have sturdy outsoles that absorb shock and reduce the impact on your hips, ankles and knees.

Orthotic Inserts

When overpronation is advanced, it might be time to switch your favourite footwear for medically designed ones. However, you can use orthotic inserts if you don't want to part with your favourite shoes.

Orthotics are highly effective for managing overpronation because they let you wear your otherwise unsupportive shoes without experiencing harmful effects. With the orthotic inserts fitted inside the shoes, adequate support is ensured.

You can get orthotic inserts in different ways, such as buying online or in stores. You can also get them custom-made by a podiatrist – a great option if you want one specifically designed for your feet.

However, custom-made and premade orthotic inserts have the same goal and can effectively correct overpronation. When looking for orthotic inserts, ensure you go for those with the appropriate underfoot contact and arch support level.

In the case of excessive pronation, a podiatrist can use a stiff orthotic to realign the subtalar joint, thus realigning the foot. Unlike conventional orthotics, this type stays on indefinitely or until your podiatrist advises you to remove it.

Overpronation Exercises

Exercise, particularly routines aimed at stretching, can strengthen the muscles in the foot arches, thus alleviating some of the strain overpronation causes. The stronger the muscles in your arches get, the more the downward tugging motion will be reduced.

Ideally, starting small and working your way up would be best. The assistance of a physical therapist is recommended.

Look at our 10 Best Overpronation Exercises which you can perform from the comfort of your own home.

Stretching

Daily stretching helps to correct overpronation and manage ankle pain. The essence of stretching is to reduce the tightness of overpronation, thus alleviating the strain on the ligaments.

Some stretch routines you can try include:

Calf Muscle Stretch

To stretch the calf muscle:

1. Stand facing a wall with your feet hip-width apart.
2. Squeeze your arches as you balance your weight on the outside of your feet to protect your bare foot from overpronation.
3. Move one leg about 20 inches back and tilt your upper body forward; keep both heels flat on the floor.
4. Hold for about 10 seconds, and then repeat the stretch on the other leg.

Plantar Fascia Stretch

To stretch your plantar fascia:

1. Sit down with one foot positioned on the opposite knee.
2. Use one hand to hold your heel and the other to hold your toes.
3. Gently pull the toes up above your foot.
4. Hold the position for about ten seconds and repeat on the other side; do this at least once daily.

Overpronation Surgery

Your podiatrist may recommend surgery to correct the misalignment between the ankle bones and heel, which typically causes overpronation.

One of those surgeries is HyProCure, a minimally invasive surgical procedure that involves shifting the ankle bone on the heel bone.

After the repositioning, the surgeon inserts a small titanium stent to stabilise the ankle bone and improve movement in the hindfoot. This surgical procedure is effective for chronic conditions like overpronation caused by misalignment between the heel and ankle.

The HyProCure procedure takes about 20 minutes and would require a little incision, usually less than 2 cm. It is minimally invasive, meaning that drilling or cutting is not required; therefore, patients need local anaesthesia or IV sedation, depending on preference.

Once the foot and ankle surgeon has made the incision, they will reposition the ankle bone, opening a small space (sinus tarsi). Afterwards, the surgeon inserts the medical-grade titanium stent for ankle bone support and stabilisation.

This procedure is FDA-approved and has been performed thousands of times since 2004, when it was approved. Furthermore, it is a proven effective method of permanently correcting overpronation in children and adults. After the surgery, the recovery time takes approximately 6-8 weeks.