Supporting the Arches for Proper Pronation

The arch is one of the most important structural features of our feet. It bears a lot of weight; some studies say up to 300,000 pounds of stress each mile we walk. The arches absorb the burden of the pressure our bodies thrust upon our feet with each step. Each person has different arch height, and each has different needs.

The issue is pronation. People with low arches may tend to "overpronate," which means the foot rotates too far inward with each stride. On the flip side, a high arch can cause the foot to roll too far outward, or "underpronate."

The extreme inward foot motion caused by pronation forces the knee and hip out of alignment. This movement places added pressure through the knee, shin, thigh, pelvis and back. The excessive foot rotation can lead to foot and ankle injuries, achilles tendonitis, heel pain, kneecap inflammation, bunions, shin splints, ailments of the hip and lower back, as well as injury to muscles, tendons and ligaments in the lower leg.