Want to know your foot type? Read this.
Everybody has different feet, but not many people know what foot type they actually have. It's not exactly the type of thing you think about.
It's important to know. How your feet move and roll can have big implications when it comes to comfort, joint alignment, and injury prevention while you're on the move.
1. What’s a foot type?
When you move your feet subtly shift how weight is distributed through them. Some of this movement is normal but excess can cause injury. Depending on how your feet roll & how much they roll determines what foot type you have.
2. Overpronation
This is where your arch collapses causing your feet to roll inwards & your arches to flatten. This results in internal rotation of your leg putting excess pressure through you knee & hip joints.
3. Supination
This is the opposite of overpronation. It is where your foot has an excessively high arch shape, causing your foot to roll outwards. The result is a very rigid foot that is poor at absorbing shock leading to pain & injury.
4. The neutral foot
A neutral foot is considered the ideal foot type. This foot type delivers an even distribution of pressure when the foot makes contact with the ground. People with a neutral foot type are generally less likely to develop injuries.
5. The solution
Treatment aims to correct poor pressure distribution by improving joint alignment & biomechanics. A combination of appropriate footwear & an orthotic device is the most effective way to achieve this.