Pronation is a common abnormality in many people which means that you have flat feet. While standing, people who hyper-pronate will have collapsed arches or very little arch that is noticeable. Hyper-Pronation can cause alignment issues which may produce ankle and knee pain or injuries, and even hip and low back pain.
Although pronation can be a painful experience, it is treated non-surgically. An easy solution for hyper-pronation is custom orthotics. Orthotics are shoe inserts that can be custom molded to your feet and help support the arch. Custom orthotics can be expensive, but many times will be covered by insurance if prescribed by your physician.
There is also generic orthotics that you can buy at running stores and are less expensive than custom orthotics. Hyper-pronation can also be corrected by adding a pad on the inside part of a shoe. This is called a valgus pad and it should be place in your shoe under your arch. A valgus pad serves the same function as orthotics, they both support the arch. A valgus pad can correct pronation that occurs at the front (closer to the toes) or middle of the foot.
You can also have pronation toward the back of your foot as well. To solve this kind of pronation, try orthotics or a calcaneal pad. A calcaneal pad goes under the middle part of your calcaneous (heel bone) and it will support your foot and arch.
Highlights
- Common abnormality in many people referred to as flat feet.
- If left untreated, it can lead to more serious problems.
- Treated non-surgically with orthotics, valgus pad or calcaneal pads.
