Supination in Runners
No runner is bio-mechanically perfect and that's good, because the surfaces we run or walk on are hardly perfect either. Our feet were designed to have "roll" to help absorb impact and compensate for uneven surfaces. Every foot is built to pronate and supinate. Pronation is the inward roll of a foot upon impact. Supination is the outward roll of a foot upon impact. A supination problem stems from when a foot over-supinates--that is the outroll roll of the foot upon meeting the ground is excessive.
Do You Supinate?
A good way to test if you're a supinator is to check for excessive outside wear on the soles of your running shoes. Another way to find out if you supinate is the wet feet test. Place a piece of butcher paper or construction paper on the bathroom floor and step onto it from the shower. If your arches are excessively high and you can hardly see the innersoles of your feet, you probably over-supinate.
Extra Wear on Your Muscles
Supination can mean extra wear on the leg muscles. The muscles in a supinator are usually tighter, making for easier muscle tears and longer recoveries. A runner who supinates also lands on his foot in such a way that there is less shock absorption. This means that the weight bearing for each step is larger, another cause of muscle strain and other injuries.
Common Injuries in Supinators
If unchecked, over supination can lead to iliotibial band syndrome, Achilles tendinitis and plantar fasciitis. Runners who supinate are also susceptible to shin splints. Shin splints can lead to stress fractures. Runners might also subconsciously try to correct their running gait, which can lead to ankle injuries.
Though none of these injuries is very serious, they can all become painful and halt your training schedule. Injuries such as plantar fasciitis and shin splints can turn chronic and plague a runner for months or years and any of these injuries can put a serious damper on your running enjoyment and sideline a training schedule.
Fixing the Problem
Correcting supination is relatively easy. Choose a neutral gait running shoe with plenty of cushioning and flexible soles. The cushioning in the running shoe will help lessen the pounding impact on your legs and the neutral soles of the shoe will allow movement of the foot.
Do a short warm up of a brisk walk for 15 minutes then stretch your calves, hamstrings and iliotibial band before every run. Do not stretch before a warm up, especially in winter, since stretching cold muscles can do more harm than good. To prevent plantar fasciitis, after a run take off your running shoes and walk on only the heels of your feet (with toes pointed in the air) for a few minutes. This stretches out the heel and plantar fascia.
Ice your legs after each run if you feel stiffness or soreness and take ibuprofen to relieve any pain and inflammation.
Tags: foot upon, plantar fasciitis, roll foot, roll foot upon, your running, foot upon impact, iliotibial band