In this pronation guide, you’ll learn what pronation in running is, how it affects you as a runner and how to determine what sort of pronator you are.
- What is pronation in running?
- Why is pronation relevant to runners?
- How to check your pronation in running
- What’s the point in knowing how much you pronate?
- Why do runners have different amounts of pronation?
- Supportive shoes advice
What is pronation in running?
Running Pronation is a normal part of the way our feet absorb impact while placing them on the floor during running, but also walking or jumping.
There are a three ways the foot can move at the ankle. Try them all now:
- Closer to the leg and further away as if tapping your foot.
- Rotating left and right as if pointing to the sides.
- Rolling inwards or outwards as if tipping the foot to the sides.
The movements observed in most of the population during landing the foot on the ground are a) the foot moving closer to the leg, and b) the foot rolling inwards so the leg moves slightly closer to the other leg. This rolling movement inwards becomes more pronounced as the toes and forefoot become more engaged during each step. This movement is called “Pronation” and spreads the load of landing over a longer period of time, making it less severe. Support from the toes starts spread across all of them and moves towards being biased towards the big toe.
Once the body is far enough forwards for the foot to start levering the heel off the floor, the bones in the foot normally lock, and the movement starts going in the opposite direction, with the foot moving further away from the leg and eventually the foot rolling outwards. This is called “Supination“. Essentially they are opposites.
However, the amount the foot rolls inwards during landing varies. Some people roll inwards a large amount during pronation – they are sometimes referred to as “Overpronators“, although I don’t really like the “over” part of the term because many runners labelled overpronators run without issue. Some people roll only a small amount – they are referred to as “Neutral“. Some people never roll inwards and only outwards – they are referred to as “Supinators“.
Here is a video of a neutral runner. You can clearly see the ankle rolling inwards during landing and then rolling outwards during toe-off / lift:
Why is pronation relevant to runners?
When we run, we land on the floor with more force than when we walk around during our normal day. Running Pronation is therefore helpful to absorb that extra force. However, unusual amounts of pronation can sometimes (but not always) exacerbate running issues.
If you pronate a lot or supinate a lot, it can increase the risk of ankle pain. This can be worsened by footwear choice. Imagine landing barefoot and pronating a lot on a firm floor. Then imagine the same foot landing in a very soft cushioned shoe – this might cause the pronation to be even more pronounced due to lack of firm surface for the foot to push back against. However the cushion of the shoe might lengthen the time it takes to do that pronation, which might take the edge off.
Whether you would be better off in a soft or firm shoe depends on the person, so if you pronate a lot you should try both and not always assume that softer is better.
Running Pronation and Supination can sometimes be linked to the knees moving sideways, dropping in or bowing out as they follow the ankle movement. If the knees are moving laterally (sideways), this puts pressure on one side and tension on the other. This can be painful and difficult for beginner runners until they build up strength. In this case, a firmer shoe or more laterally supportive shoe or even a barefoot style shoe might help take the pressure off the knees until supporting leg and foot strength has been built up over time.
Having a lot of running pronation or supination isn’t necessarily an issue and some runners that seem like they should wear much more laterally supportive shoes are fine in neutral running shoes that have no lateral bias.
How to check your pronation in running
This is easy. Do a slow-motion video like the one above where you land in front of the camera, running away from it.
Compare the results during landing to the pictures above.
What’s the point in knowing how much you pronate?
Knowing how much you pronate is mostly relevant if you encounter running issues such as knee or foot pain. For example, could an excess of pronation have lead to knee bowing in and thus knee pain? Or could being a supinator have lead to knees bowing out. Sometimes people have large amounts of pronation because their knee bows out, which puts large stress on the ankle.
Why do runners have different amounts of pronation?
Running Pronation in running is NOT determined by arch height, even though there might be a pattern. I’ve seen huge numbers of people that have:
- Flat arches and supinate
- High arches and pronate a lot
- And all the other combinations, including neutral
There might be a general pattern of flat tending to pronation and high tending to supination, but arch type is NOT a good way to determine amount of pronation or to choose shoes.
For example, imagine someone with flat arches that has been told this means that they need lateral support shoes, to hold the inside of the foot up and stop it rolling in. However, in reality they are a natural supinator. What will happen? The shoes will make them supinate even more, possibly leading to issues like sore knees.
Pronation does get more controlled with running experience, so the predominant factors are genetics and strength.
Supportive shoes advice
If you using a very soft, neutral running shoe makes you pronate a lot more than when barefoot, you might want to consider a more laterally supportive and / or less cushioned option to avoid issues down the line. Manufacturers refer to these as “support” or “stability” shoes. Support is not amount of cushion in this context.
If pronation and knee drop, or supination and bowed knees are already causing issues, getting a more laterally supportive shoe might help.
However, don’t feel you need to stay in supportive shoes forever. As you get better and stronger at running, many runners should consider the move to a more neutral shoe.
