What is pronation of the foot?
Pronation is a term that describes the natural way your foot moves to prepare your body for impact when walking or running. This motion is generally a mild "flattening" of the foot's arch that absorbs the impact of the foot hitting the ground, and reduces shock from reaching your ankles, knees, hips and back. Your foot then "reloads" with an equal opposite motion called supination, and is ready to absorb the shock once again with your next step.
Why should I care about my over pronated feet?
As we get older and heavier (ahem, not you specifically, just speaking in generalities here..), the foot may start to pronate TOO much, and this is BIG trouble. When the foot pronates too much (ie. flattens too much when walking), it has the unintended consequence of knocking ALL of your foot joints out of alignment while you walk or run.
It's like the conductor of an orchestra suddenly lying down and taking a nap in the middle of a symphony!
The muscles, ligaments, tendons and joints of the foot, that look to the arch of the foot for instructions and guidance, suddenly have NONE! So what happens? They DO WHATEVER THEY WANT, LITERALLY!
What can happen with over pronation of the feet?
Over pronation can lead to many painful types of foot conditions and deformities, including:
- Plantar fasciitis (heel spurs)
- Bunions
- Hammertoes
- Morton's Neuroma
- Tendonitis (Achilles, Peroneal, Tibial, etc.)
- Osteoarthritis
- And many more.....
The list goes on and on!
Home Remedies for Over Pronation?
For something that affects so many people, over pronation isn't talked about enough. Over pronation can be serious enough to cause painful, and permanent, foot deformities! Yikes!
The best way to control over pronation, and possibly prevent many of the conditions listed above, is to use a quality arch support shoe insert!
By supporting the arch of the foot in a comfortable manner while walking and running, you prevent the over flattening of the foot (over pronation), keeping all of the other vital structures of the foot working as a healthy team!
For many, the answer is custom orthotics. Unfortunately, these can cost hundreds of dollars, are often not covered by health insurance, and can end up limiting the types of shoes you can wear.
Don't fret though, most over pronation can be addressed with a quality pair of over-the-counter arch support insoles. Not only do they average a tenth of the cost of custom orthotics, they are also available in many different shapes and sizes, so you don't have to get rid of the shoes in your closet.
It sounds a little too good to be true, but once you understand more about what pronation is, and how a quality arch support insert can help, you'll start to see why the solution doesn't have to break the bank.
Top 5 Arch Support Insoles for Over Pronation
🏆 "Our 2024 Top Pick" 🏆
#1- Samurai Insoles Ninjas
Why are Samurai Insoles Ninjas our top pick for 2024 for controlling over pronation?
✔️ Design: Samurai Insoles Ninjas are one of the few products on the market that are an ACTUAL ORTHOTIC that is not super rigid. This gives your feet the support they need to comfortably control over pronation.
They also can be worn in ANY shoe with a removable insole, giving you the flexibility of using them in many types of shoes! And the best part?
Because they aren't an insole made of foam and fabric, they last SO LONG!
There isn't anything to wear out, just put them under the factory insoles of a new pair of shoes and you're good to go.
✔️ Price: At $29.99 these are an absolute steal! Custom orthotics for pronation can easily cost more than $500. For less than 1/10 the price, these are nearly as good.
✔️ One Year Warranty: Samurai Insoles Ninjas have a one year warranty! No other product we reviewed even comes CLOSE to this. Wow!
✔️ Made in the USA: Samurai Insoles are made in an orthotic lab in the USA. The fact that an American made orthotic can be purchased for under $30 still amazes us.
Here is the founder of Samurai Insoles demonstrating:
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#2- Protalus Insoles M100 Max Series
#3- Superfeet Green Insoles
Superfeet have been around a LONG time. They got their start being sold in retail sporting goods stores, and have transitioned to selling online in recent years, but this has presented the company with some challenges.
✔️ Design: If you've checked out the Protalus design, just know that the Superfeet did it first. They were one of the first to incorporate an orthotic plastic layer on the outside of the insole. Once again, this does the job, but it also makes them thicker than the Samurai, reducing the choices of shoes they'll fit well in.
✔️ Price: Superfeet are borderline in the pricey range, current retail at the time of writing this article is $49.95.
✔️ 60 Day Warranty: Superfeet green insoles come with a 60 day warranty, significantly less than Samurai Insoles Ninjas or Protalus products.
❌ Made in the USA: Superfeet are not made in the USA unfortunately. Once again, for this price we had hoped they would be.
#4- Dr. Scholl's Custom fit Orthotic Inserts
✔️ Design: Not a full length insole, but still designed to be placed on top of your shoes factory insoles, which may make it difficult for some people to adjust to the feel of this. Once again, Dr. Scholl's Custom Fit combine a thick piece of plastic to the bottom of the insole, instead of inside.
❌ Price: Dr. Scholl's Custom fit Orthotic Inserts currently are our second most expensive selection. At the time of this article they are $49.96 retail price.
✔️ 90 Day Warranty: Dr. Scholls Custom Fit Orthotic Inserts have a 90 day warranty.
❌ Made in the USA: Dr. Scholl's "Custom fit" Orthotic Inserts are not made in the USA unfortunately.
#5- Dr. Scholl's Plantar Fasciitis Orthotics
❌ Design: Well, unfortunately, there isn't much of one. Dr. Scholl’s Pain Relief Orthotics for Plantar Fasciitis are a very thin insole with a *very* thin piece of plastic glued to the bottom. It's unclear how much weight they can hold before flattening out, but by the looks of it, not much.
✔️ Price: Well, they are affordable at $31.00!
✔️ 90 Day Warranty: Dr. Scholl’s Plantar Fasciitis Orthotics have a 90 day warranty.
❌ Made in the USA: Dr. Scholl's Pain Relief Orthotic Inserts are not made in the USA unfortunately.
Whichever you choose to fight your over pronation, choose now!
The longer you allow over pronation to linger, the greater the chances you may develop pain or a foot deformity.
We, Samurai Wellness, LLC, are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Samurai Insoles are branded products made by our company, Samurai Wellness, LLC, but we truly believe that our products are the best on the market! It is important to know that our products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
