Active.com is a great resource for runners.
I enjoy their weekly emails with tips on issues such as: how to fuel your body, preventing various injuries, and working out in sweltering heat.
Today’s email included an interesting article on overpronation.
Overpronation is when one’s ankles roll inward too much.
It is widely believed that this can lead to over-use type pain or injury (shin splints, joint pain). Many people (myself included) get specially fitted for running shoes and/on inserts in hopes to correcting the “problem.”
Today’s article from Active asserts that corrections for over pronation should not always be made. They say:
“…doing so can and often does result in one symptom going away and another, usually a more complicated one, developing elsewhere.”
Here’s what really resonated with me:
Often over pronation is the symptom of another problem. Most common is a lack of normal ankle range of motion. If the foot/ankle isn’t bending properly, the knee is restricted and can’t “travel forward enough for the body to move its center of mass over the foot.”
The result? Overpronation. That pronation causes the knee to drift to the midline, which means the hip turns excessively inward. Snowball.
Correction through shoes and inserts either a) doesn’t work or b) makes the underlying cause worse because the overpronation “is a needed compensation for a lack of mobility elsewhere in the body. Taking this compensatory element away without first addressing and correcting the true underlying cause will inevitably force compensation (frequently accompanied by pain) in another part of the body.”
Source: http://bestrunningshoereport.com/
So what should you do?
See if you over pronate with a squat test. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and attempt a squat. Are your knees bent 90 degrees or less? Are your heels still on the ground? Are your feet still forward (not turning outward)?
No? If you can’t do the squat correctly, the article says your foot pronation is likely “due to inflexibility of your ankles and that is what should be corrected.”
Bottom line: Before you go out and buy special shoes or inserts, see a professional to have a complete evaluation (pelvis, hip, knee, ankle and foot) done by a professional.
On to my actual Wednesday eats in honor of WIAW.
1 day later than usual due to procrastination/over-sleepiness rather than the pursuit of true Wednesday eats.
Breakfast
Banana Green Smoothie
- Vanilla protein powder
- Maca
- Banana
- All-Bran (lots of it!)
- Peanut butter
- Spinach
- Coconut milk
- Cinnamon
- Vanilla
- Water + ice, to taste
Lunch
Lightlife Buffalo “Chicken” wings, celery, and cucumber
Salt + Pepper Pop Chips – how did I wait so long to try these?!
Snacks
Kombucha, plum… and a BlackBerry
Similar to breakfast, but with a chocolate casein protein powder
Dinner
I made spaghetti squash and topped with tomatoes AND…
Angela @ Oh She Glows’ Creamy Avocado Sauce.
If you haven’t made this before, you are missing out on some serious creamy deliciousness. Sooooo good.
My modifications:
- Added red pepper flakes, nutritional yeast, and red onion
- Subbed 1 T of coconut milk for the EVOO
- Used just 1 clove of garlic
Don’t forget to enter my Exceed earbud giveaway! These are pretty awesome – I’ve never even felt like they were going to fall out.
It’s my birthday eve!!! The bad part about being an adult is that I still have to work all day.
What do you think about pronation?
Do you over or under pronate? Have you even been evaluated?
I over pronate, but I’m working on improving it! Like you, I found that good fitting shoes and inserts really do help 🙂 Now if I could get my joint pain to go away I’d be fine! lol
Squash and avocados? Sounds like a killer combo! 🙂
Thanks for this post! I overpronate and have corrected it with shoes but now sometimes get pain in my knees. Well, I’ve had pain in my knees when running for years but i’m not sure which one came first… Will be making an appointment with a chiropractor this week to see if that helps at all! What are your birthday plans?! 🙂
I love my chiro! And I am definitely going to be celebrating all weekend. 🙂
I have bad running form in general. I sort of kick my legs, especially the right, out to the side when I run. I don’t feel like I do it, but I have had a lot of people tell me that I do and when I see people run the way I do, I can recognize it.
Happy almost birthday! Any big plans for the weekend? Fun that your bday falls on a Friday.
Also, what do you think of maca? I’ve heard mixed things about it.
I like it – I always mix it into stuff, so I don’t notice the flavor. I wouldn’t eat it by the spoonful though!
Great job, very informative post! I used to run in shoes that were too “protective”, and they really do create more problems than they solve. That’s the reason I am transitioning to minimalist shoes. I felt the right thing to do for me was to strengthen the “supporting cast” of ligaments, tendons, and muscles. Takes some time to get used to but it’s been very worth it.
The eats look delicious, as usual. 😉
Great info on over pronation! I just saw a physical therapist yesterday and he wants me to get inserts because I over pronate hahaha
Let me know how that goes – your symptoms sound nearly identical to mine!
Love the All Bran on top! People make fun of me for liking All Bran and Fiber One haha. I’m like “I”m not a grandma, I just like it!”
I’ve definitely been evaluated and I am an OVER PRONATOR to the fullest.
Haha! I also like Grape Nuts. 🙂
So much good stuff in this post!! Love the smoothie. I’ve never had maca before but it’s been on my shopping list for awhile! Yes – Pop chips rock!! Any why can’t I find spaghetti squash at TJ’s? I am dying to make it with that avocado sauce.
Thank you! I find spaghetti squash at Publix and Whole Foods. 🙂
Love Active.com…read that the other day…great resource for runners!! 🙂
Aren’t Angela’s recipes awesome? I absolutely adore her blog!
I totally agree with Active about checking out other factors before getting fitted for shoes. I used to have a lot of hip and knee pain. However, I started doing hip and ankle strengthening exercises and running barefoot once a week. All of my previous issues are gone now. 🙂
I’m finally getting back to running after tearing my dumb ACL so I’ll definitely be keeping this post in mind. Also- I’m obsessed with the salt and pepper pop chips!
Great post! I overpronate slightly, and I think it’s because I have misaligned legs. My diagnosed misalignment also contributes to my runner’s knee(s). Not fun! It makes buying shoes really difficult!
I have yet to try spghetti squash but I need to bc it always looks so good!
I over pronate… I had to get special shoes to fix mah feet! haha =) they run like a dream though. and cost a small fortune! eep!
Happy WIAW! you belted one out at the last min there! yesss! rock star!
I overpronate like its my part time job 😉
I enjoyed the pronation lesson and your banana green smoothie with All-Bran – very neat! Love the avocado sauce on dinner…. so fresh looking. Thanks Laura.
YUM! And how were those buffalo “chicken” bites?????
So is the image above a right or a left leg???
It can happen on either side, but the diagram is of the left leg.