can you reduce pronation?

Shoes with thinner/firmer midsoles.

thanks for your imput. however, iv noticed that i seem to pronate quite a lot even when walking around barefoot. any ideas on that?

Nope. It's just the way your foot works.

It's more than likely your foot functions normally and shoes cause you problems. Only ~3% of people have built in problems.

Shoes with orthotics.

Doctor prescribed/fitted inserts solved my chondromalacia patella.

Do you need to reduce pronation? You have said that you notice pronation even when barefoot, but is this causing a problem?

Yes it causes a problem.

maybe the question is how do you know if your natural mechanics are causing problems and how do you know if you're one of those in the approximently 3% who have built in defficencies?

trackhead wrote:

It's more than likely your foot functions normally and shoes cause you problems. Only ~3% of people have built in problems.

I don't mean to attack you, but I feel that you are only inferring as much. You could not possibly have determined what percentage of population has structural defects. On the other hand, there is a proven correlation between the pronated foot type and overpronation injuries such as medial tibial stress syndrome. A military study recently indicated that 20% of recruits had a pronated foot type, and a large percentage of those recruits (don't rememebr exact #) developed overpronation injuries during basic training.

a) pronation is not bad -- there's a reason that everyone pronates

b) people pronate to differente degrees, as per how their foot connects with their leg. I've worked with thousands of people and their shoes, and can think of maybe one whose pronation was out of sync with their legs. Otherwise, everyone else was stable barefoot

c) shoes can easily cause many problems. I would bet a lot of money that if you looked at those recruits, its their shoes that are messing them up -- not their feet.

d) The figure of +/-3% is actually from famed physio Gerald Hartmann (of Paula Radcliffe fame), and more or less corresponds with my own experiences.

[quote]runnerrunnerrunner wrote:

i pronate heavily, and its causing me problems. are there any exercises that can be used to reduce pronation?

Tom:

The direct answer is yes, there are exercises that may reduce OVERpronation. First some background.

One theory is that 'motion control' was probably not a problem with our bare-foot/moccasin wearing ancestors, but since we stick our feet in all manner of footwear from birth we never develop those structures fully. (I would love to do a gait study of folks in east africa, etc, that still go barefoot a great deal. I'm guessing there would not be the level of over-pronation seen in the west.)

It is possible that the bogus advice still often given by well intentioned folks to 'land on your heels' is part of the problem. Proper gait mechanics involves landing on the outer edge of the foot; the heel barely touches the ground and the foot quickly rolls to the forefoot for the push-off phase.

Anyway, one way to help correct the problem is to run barefoot on soft surfaces (sand, smooth grass, etc). You could plop 80 bucks down for a pair of those Swoosh barefoot shoe things to protect your feet from thorns and such, or spend 10 bucks on a pair of water shoes. Do very little at first, then build up gradually. It should not be your primary type of running by any means, just an adjunct like bounding drills, strength training, etc.

Strength exercises for the lower leg and foot are also useful, at least in theory. Calf (heel) raises, toe raises (for shins), ankle flexion/extension, abduction/adduction, and circumduction exercises should also be added. For strengthening the feet, pick up marbles with your toes and deposit them in a bucket; also, lay out a bath towel on the floor then 'scrunch' it toward you with your toes until you reach the end of the towel. You could work these into your 2 to 3 times per week strength training routine.

trackhead wrote:

a) pronation is not bad -- there's a reason that everyone pronates

b) people pronate to differente degrees, as per how their foot connects with their leg. I've worked with thousands of people and their shoes, and can think of maybe one whose pronation was out of sync with their legs. Otherwise, everyone else was stable barefoot

c) shoes can easily cause many problems. I would bet a lot of money that if you looked at those recruits, its their shoes that are messing them up -- not their feet.

d) The figure of +/-3% is actually from famed physio Gerald Hartmann (of Paula Radcliffe fame), and more or less corresponds with my own experiences.

read Hartman's website trackhead - he is an advocate for orthotics. yeh.

trackhead wrote:

a) pronation is not bad -- there's a reason that everyone pronates

b) people pronate to differente degrees, as per how their foot connects with their leg. I've worked with thousands of people and their shoes, and can think of maybe one whose pronation was out of sync with their legs. Otherwise, everyone else was stable barefoot

c) shoes can easily cause many problems. I would bet a lot of money that if you looked at those recruits, its their shoes that are messing them up -- not their feet.

d) The figure of +/-3% is actually from famed physio Gerald Hartmann (of Paula Radcliffe fame), and more or less corresponds with my own experiences.

trackhead:

thanks thats great advise. i tried 5mins barefoot today and it felt great. a lovely natural stretch for the achillies as well.

thanks for everyones advice and opinions.

This guy is trackhead? He claims to have worked with thousands of runners?! When did he start training people, at the age of 3?

Sorta speaks for itself:

Why did you choose Cal State San Marcos?

Because it has the best distance running program in the state.

claro que sí -- very few places are interested in developing runners.

Let's see -- I've worked with on average 6 runners per day, five days per week, 50 weeks per year for 3.5 yrs = ... pueden hacerlo

and he also advocates the Free

orthotics are effective when necessary -- most often, they are necessary to help a foot that has been injured

can I get a link to hartmans site?