Overpronation is a joint problem that causes excessive inward rolling of the foot and flattening of the arch during gait movements. It can be caused by muscle imbalances, tight-fitting shoes, and a dysfunction of the tibialis posterior tendon. Treatment includes avoiding tight-fitting shoes, walking barefoot, and performing stretches and strengthening exercises. Overpronation can cause foot problems like bunions and plantar fasciitis, as well as knee pain and poor posture.
Overpronation is a condition that affects the foot and ankle. It is characterized by excessive inward rolling of the foot at the ankle and consequent flattening of the arch during gait movements. Although this condition is sometimes described as dropped arches, or flat feet, overpronation is not actually a dysfunction of the arch tissues in the foot, but rather a joint problem, in which multiple bones in the foot simultaneously rotate in the wrong direction relative to each other. to one another. Additionally, the calf and foot muscles may become imbalanced in an attempt to compensate for the gait adaptation caused by this condition, which can set off a chain reaction that disrupts the function of other muscles involved in locomotion.
One or more pre-existing muscle imbalances caused by everyday movement over time can cause overpronation to develop. One possible cause is weak hip abductors, i.e. the gluteal muscles at the back of the hip, as a result of obesity and/or prolonged sitting. Another is an Achilles tendon that is too short, usually from wearing high-heeled shoes. Overpronation can also be caused by wearing shoes that are too tight and therefore disable the muscles in the bottom of the foot that flex the toes. Finally, it can be caused by a dysfunction of the tibialis posterior tendon, a tendon of a deep calf muscle that runs under the foot and should bend the foot down at the ankle and supinate the foot, or rotate the sole inward.
Visible as the flattening of the inside of the foot towards the ground, overpronation is actually a series of movements that occur simultaneously in different joints of the foot during gait motion. One such movement is calcaneus eversion, in which the heel bone or heel bone strikes the ground at a slight inward angle, so that the bottom of the heel tips outward. Another involves the head or anterior surface of the talus bone, the one above the heel bone and just below the ankle joint, which angles too much inward and downward. This causes the joint between the talus and the navicular bone, a small bone in the foot in front of the talus, to supine, which means that the midfoot rotates laterally or outward and superiorly or upwards.
In front of the arch of the foot, overpronation involves abduction or outward tilt of the ball of the foot with simultaneous dorsiflexion as body weight transfers to the ball of the foot. This means that when the joint under the big toe makes contact with the ground, that big toe tilts towards the other toes and at the same time elevates itself away from the ground. Over time, this repetitive movement increases the risk of a bunion deformity, better known as bunion. In addition to causing foot problems like bunions and plantar fasciitis, overpronation can lead to a chain of muscle imbalances that can cause everything from knee pain to poor posture.
To treat overpronation, sufferers are recommended to avoid tight-fitting shoes and minimize the use of high-heeled shoes; in fact, they are encouraged to walk barefoot to strengthen foot and ankle muscles and stretch the Achilles. Stretches for the calf and Achilles muscles are recommended, as are strengthening exercises for the deep toe flexors and shin splints. These can include picking up objects with your bare feet, walking on your toes in bare feet, and performing one-footed calf raises, in which you lift your heels off the floor while simultaneously allowing your ankles to roll outward.
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