Overpronation is a word that causes a lot of concern among podiatric doctors and running footwear stores because it brings about so much misunderstandings and debate. Pronation is really a movement of the foot in which the ankle rolls inwards and the arch of the foot collapses. This is a normal healthy movement that is needed for normal foot biomechanics and impact moderation. Overpronation is meant to be the word useful to describe should there be an excessive amount of this normal pronation. The initial part in the controversy is exactly what is normal and what's abnormal and exactly where may be the threshold of the division between normal pronation and overpronation. You will find robust views on all sides of this argument and there doesn't look like any solution in the controversy on the horizon.
The reason this issue produces a whole lot of debate is that overpronation has been regarded as a primary factor in overuse injuries in athletes. Podiatric doctors commonly use foot orthotics to manage the problem and running shoe manufacturers design running shoes to help runners that have the condition. This implies there is a lot of vested interest in it. The problem arises is that the scientific evidence shows that, yes, overpronation generally is a risk factor for a running injury, however it is not really a major risk factor. It is further complicated by a lot of athletes who have quite extreme overpronation and never develop any issues and don't need foot orthotics or running shoes using the motion control design features. That will not help take care of the debate nor help clinicians make judgements re foot orthotics and for running shoe sellers on advice as to what needs to be the correct running shoe. It really comes down to clinicians and running shoe retailer’s individual experience and expertise and making choices in the perspective of precisely what is best for the individual runner.